Nora Quoirin: Family of London teen 'believe she has been abducted'
Nora Quoirin's family realised she was missing on Sunday morning when she was not in her room and her window was open.
Tuesday 6 August 2019 21:55, UK
The family of a 15-year-old London girl missing in Malaysia have insisted they believe she has been abducted.
Nora Quoirin's family said they found she was missing from her bedroom at the Dusun resort in Negeri Sembilan on Sunday morning, with the window left open.
They say they have "no reason to believe she wandered off", despite police saying they have found no evidence of foul play.
In a statement her family said: "Nora's family believe she has been abducted.
"We are especially worried because Nora has learning and developmental disabilities and is not like other 15-year-olds.
"She looks younger, she is not capable of taking care of herself and she won't understand what is going on.
"She never goes anywhere by herself. We have no reason to believe she wandered off and is lost."
According to local media, more than 160 personnel are now searching for Nora. Sniffer dogs and helicopters have been brought in as police expand the search.
State deputy police chief Che Zakaria Othman told Sky News his teams were searching along the river bank but had no evidence to suggest any criminal activity.
He said: "We have information from one of the villagers that they saw a white woman bathing in the river at about 7pm on Sunday.
"He was riding a motorcycle [when he saw this]. He did not take a photo as he was passing by but we are checking."
Responding to the family's claim that Nora was wearing her underwear to sleep, the deputy said he had no witnesses or evidence to point to what she was wearing when she left the room.
He said sniffer dogs which have been used to search found no trace of her beyond 100m from the place the family were staying.
Police, fire and rescue services, civil defence and the forestry department are searching dense jungle and hilly terrain on foot, according to Malaysia's The Star newspaper.
The 15-year-old is the daughter of an Irish-French couple living in London for the past 20 years. Her mother, Meabh, is originally from Belfast and the teenager is understood to be travelling on an Irish passport.
Deputy Zakaria Othman said local indigenous people, the Orang Asli, are also helping with the search.
He told The Star: "We've got a platoon from the general operations force as well as a police canine team to look for Nora Anne.
"The girl's passport and other belongings are with the family."
The CCTV at the resort the family were staying in is limited to the counter area, he said.
Nora's aunt Aisling Agnew, has set up a fundraising page online, and wrote: "Nora's parents and relatives in Ireland and France are distraught by her disappearance.
"Nora is a child with special needs and has learning and developmental disabilities which make her especially vulnerable and we fear for her safety.
"Nora would not know how to get help and would never leave her family voluntarily.
"We now consider this a criminal matter.
"We are appealing to everyone to assist the local police in any way they can and to pass on any information that would help locate our beloved Nora without delay."
She said more of Nora's family would be travelling to help with the search and explained the money raised would help them cover any unforeseen costs.
They have so far raised £13,000.
A spokesman for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said: "We are aware of the case and providing consular assistance."