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This CCTV shows the tragic moment a 3-year-old boy wandered out of an apartment to his death in as temperatures plummeted to -30C.

Elijah Marsh died in hospital after after wandering away from the apartment and spending six hours alone outside in cold weather.

He left the apartment building where he was staying with family wearing only a T-shirt, diaper and boots. He was found hours later without vital signs in the neighbourhood.

(Image: Toronto at 6)

"Sometime after the search was underway the young boy was located not very far from here," Frank Barredo, Toronto Police Inspector told journalists.

A frantic hours-long search was joined by neighbours, family friends and police from other divisions, local media said.

There was no confirmation as to how the toddler ended up outside alone, but according to reports, Marsh went outside in the early morning hours as his family was sleeping.

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The toddler was found by volunteers in a backyard of a private house 300 metres (984 feet) from the apartment the family was staying at after spending about 6 hours outside with overnight temperatures dropping up to -30C (-22F), CBC reported.

“You see the picture of that beautiful little boy with a nice smile and the video of the child going out into the cold,” Toronto police chief Bill Blair said.

“It really is a tragic set of circumstances.”