Nora Quoirin: Westlife make on-stage appeal on search for London teenager missing in Malaysia
"We call on all the people in this country to offer their assistance", Westlife's Nicky Byrne says during a show in Malaysia.
Friday 9 August 2019 19:31, UK
Westlife have given their support to the search for missing London teenager Nora Quoirin by making an appeal for help finding her during a concert in Malaysia.
Band member Nicky Byrne said during the show at Malawati Stadium in the city of Shah Alam: "We call on all the people in this country to offer their assistance in providing the latest information on Nora's disappearance.
"We are sure her family is now hoping for Nora to return to their arms safely."
The group tweeted a further appeal, urging their 312,000 followers to retweet it.
"Please repost and RT across all your social media and help find Nora. We are in KL [Kuala Lumpur] and doing a concert tonight & it's very upsetting to hear this news."
Nora, 15, who was on a family holiday at an eco-resort 39 miles (63km) south of the capital Kuala Lumpur, has been missing since Sunday.
Her parents said they discovered she was not in her room that morning and noticed the living room window was open in the cottage where they were staying in southern Negeri Sembilan state.
Search teams have been playing voice recordings of her mother, Meabh Quoirin, as they comb the dense forest around the Dusun resort.
"Nora darling, Nora, Nora, Mummy's here," the message said, amplified by loudspeakers.
More than 260 people are involved in the operation, Negeri Sembilan deputy police chief Che Zakaria Othman said, using helicopters with thermal detectors, drones, sniffer dogs and indigenous trackers.
Two dozen members of a special police commando unit joined in on Friday as the search area was expanded, Mr Othman added.
Police officers have also been handing out leaflets with photographs of Nora to motorists in the area.
Police chief Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said time is of the essence.
"An able-bodied or normal person would be weak by the fifth day, and that is why we need to find the victim as soon as possible," he said.
Mr Zakaria said that, contrary to reports, investigators have not found any of Nora's footprints.
Nora's parents, Meabh and Sebastien, believe their daughter, who has learning and developmental disabilities, has been abducted.
Detectives are treating her as a missing person but have said they have not ruled out foul play.
They think the teenager climbed out of the window and is still in the vicinity of the resort.
Detectives have questioned 20 people and said a forensic team was analysing fingerprints found in the cottage where the girl went missing.
On Friday, search team members joined worshippers at a local mosque for prayers dedicated to Nora's safe return.
Negeri Sembilan police chief Che Zakaria Othman said: "We are asking Allah, to help us in finding this missing person Nora Anne Quoirin."
Two GoFundMe appeals have been set up by relatives and have received more than £78,000 in pledges.
On one, a family statement said Nora's disabilities made her especially vulnerable and they fear for her safety.
"Nora would not know how to get help and would never leave her family voluntarily," the statement said.