“Especially vulnerable.”
The disappearance of a girl traveling in Malaysia on an Irish passport is being treated as an abduction.
Nora Quoirin had been on a family holiday at a resort near Seremban, about an hour south of Kuala Lumpur, when she went missing this week.
The 15-year-old’s parents, who are Irish and French, discovered that she was not in her room and that the window of her hotel room had been left open.
Nora has learning difficulties and is said to be “especially vulnerable.” According to The Lucie Blackman Trust (LBT), a charity who aids families of missing children, the case is now being treated as an abduction.
“This is a very vulnerable young girl missing in a remote location,” LBT’s chief executive Matthew Searle said.
“She has been missing for over 24 hours now and it is imperative that every resource available is deployed to search for her.”
However, local police have said that there is no evidence of foul play in Nora’s disappearance.
“So far there’s no indication of foul play, however investigations are still ongoing,” said Che Zakaria Bin Othman, deputy police chief of Negeri Sembilan.
Nora’s disappearance has been described as “completely out of character” by family friends who said that her parents were “frantic”.
Catherine Cook, a family friend, told PA that: “It’s out of character for Nora to go wandering off.”
“I’m a mother and I burst into tears just hearing this story. I cannot imagine the hell that they are living right now,” she added.
“I just ask for anyone who can help them to do so as soon as possible. To my knowledge the French government and the Irish government are helping them and it would be great if other agencies or governments worldwide could support them.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said it is providing consular assistance to the family.
