The family of a missing Irish teenager in Malaysia believe she has been abducted.
Nóra Quoirin's family today released a statement via the Irish and French Embassies in Kuala Lumpur.
Her family say they discovered her missing from her bedroom at the Dusun resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on Sunday morning, with the window left open and considered it a criminal matter
Police in Malaysia said there were no initial signs of foul play, but more than 160 personnel are now searching for the 15-year-old.
Nóra's family have said they have no reason to believe "she wandered off ".
"Nora’s family believe she has been abducted," the statement read.
"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.
"Nora has shoulder-length wavy dark blonde hair and blue eyes, she is 5ft1 and thin.
"If you have any information, please pass it on so we can assist the local police in any way possible."
The family say they have set up an email address, [email protected], for anyone with information.
Earlier: Malaysian police expand search for missing Irish teen
By Press Association
Police have expanded the search for a 15-year-old Irish teenager who went missing from a nature resort in Malaysia.
Nóra Quoirin’s family say they discovered her missing from her bedroom at the Dusun resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state on Sunday morning with the window left open, and considered it a criminal matter.
The police said there were no initial signs of foul play, but more than 160 personnel are now searching for Nóra, who has special needs, local media reported.
Those searching dense jungle and hilly terrain on foot and by helicopter include police, the fire and rescue services department, civil defence, and the forestry department, Malaysia’s The Star reports.
Sniffer dogs are also being used in the search for Nóra, who is the daughter of an Irish-French couple who have lived in London for around 20 years.
State deputy police chief Che Zakaria Othman said local indigenous people – known as Orang Asli – are also helping with the search.
“We’ve got a platoon from the general operations force as well as a police canine team to look for Nóra Anne,” he told The Star, adding that more personnel are expected to join the search.
He added that the CCTV system at the resort is limited to the counter area.
“The girl’s passport and other belongings are with the family,” he said.
Missing persons charity the Lucie Blackman Trust (LBT) had previously said Nóra’s disappearance was being treated as an abduction.
The girl’s family said they were treating the disappearance as a “criminal matter”.
Speaking to LBT from Belfast, Nóra’s aunt Aisling Agnew said: “Nóra’s parents and relatives in Ireland and France are distraught by her disappearance.
“Nóra is a child with special needs and has learning and developmental disabilities which make her especially vulnerable and we fear for her safety.
“Nóra 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 Nóra without delay.”
Nóra’s father raised the alarm when he discovered her missing from her bedroom at 8am local time on Sunday.
Her window had been opened.
Nóra, whose mother Meabh is originally from Belfast and whose father is French, is understood to have been travelling on an Irish passport.
A spokesman for Department of Foreign Affairs said: “We are aware of the case and providing consular assistance.”- Press Association
