Police searching for two missing children and their father have found several bodies in a car in the Rensel canal, which borders an industrial estate in the Groningen town of Winschoten.

The town is just a few kilometres from Beerta, where the children disappeared, and from Finsterwolde, where the search was concentrated on Monday.

Jeffrey (10) and Emma (8) went missing on Saturday afternoon after being taken by their father Klaas Bijl (67). An amber alert was issued on Sunday amid growing concerns for the children’s safety.

Police have not yet confirmed how many bodies were found in the vehicle, but Bijl is reported to have told a friend on Saturday afternoon that he planned to “take himself and the children to paradise”.

“We are assuming that it is the children and father,” the police said in a statement.

The car was spotted in the water by police at around 8.30 pm on Tuesday evening. It has since been lifted out of the canal and taken away for forensic examination.

Rubertus Hake, the missing children’s half-brother, has thanked everyone for their support in a short message on social media.

“I would also ask everyone to leave the family in peace to process what has happened,” he said.