Two children who went missing in Groningen at the weekend have been found dead alongside their father in a canal in Winschoten, police confirmed on Wednesday.

The discovery ends a large-scale search for Jeffrey (10) and Emma (8), who had not been seen since Saturday afternoon, when they were taken by their father, Klaas Bijl, in a grey Toyota Avensis. Their disappearance triggered a nationwide amber alert on Sunday and a widespread police operation across the province.

The car was spotted on Tuesday evening in the Rensel canal near the A7 motorway and was pulled from the water around midnight. All three bodies were inside.

“Shocked, angry and deeply saddened. No words can describe what we are feeling right now,” the children’s family said in a written statement. “We cannot comprehend it, and we do not want to.”

The police had concentrated their search in areas around Finsterwolde and Winschoten after receiving indications that the father intended to take his own life and that of the children. Friends told the AD that Bijl had visited them on Saturday morning in a distressed state. Concerned for his wellbeing, they reportedly took his car keys, but he later left with a spare.

The last confirmed sighting of the vehicle was at 3:45 pm on Saturday near the A7, not far from where it was ultimately found.

The children were abducted in Beerta, part of the Oldambt local authority, and attended school in Delfzijl in neighbouring Eemsdelta. On Wednesday, the mayors of both regions expressed their condolences and urged the public to give the family time and privacy.

“The darkest possible scenario has, sadly, become reality,” said Oldambt mayor Cora Yfke Sikkema. “It is a devastating outcome for the family, for friends, for classmates, and for everyone who followed this case with hope.”

Her counterpart in Eemsdelta, Ben Visser, spoke of “an immensely tragic end to days of uncertainty that have deeply affected our community”.