More than 160 police hunt for British school girl, 15, missing in Malaysia

Police are using sniffer dogs to search for the missing 15-year-old. (REUTERS)

The family of a 15-year-old London schoolgirl who went missing from a nature resort in Malaysia say they believe she was abducted despite police saying there was "no evidence" of foul play.

Nora Quoirin's family say they discovered her missing from her bedroom at the Dusun resort on Sunday morning with the window left open just hours after they checked in.

The London teen's family say they believe she was abducted from the resort, but police have disputed that account and claim there were no signs of foul play and she is lost in the dense jungle.

Nora, who has special needs, vanished while on holiday with her parents Sebastien and Meabh and two siblings.

Now in its third day, the search in a rainforest in Malaysia's southern Negeri Sembilan state has been expanded to 25 acres (10 hectares), with more than 160 personnel, including sniffer dogs, now involved. 

In the latest update on Tuesday, the state's police chief, Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop, said it is still being classified as a missing persons case and there was "no evidence" to suggest Nora was abducted.

There was no evidence that a struggle had taken place in the family's rented accommodation, he said.

"She may be lost. We will keep looking for her," the police chief added.

He said the effort would focus on a river that runs through the area, and the police force went as far as warning Malaysians not to share news reports containing the family's claims that Nora was abducted.

In a Facebook post and statement released on Tuesday, Nora's family again disputed the police department's position.

Her father Sebastien wrote on Facebook: "Our daughter Nora has now been missing for 3 days in Seremban, 1h30 South of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"We believe she may have been abducted and we need your support to help us find Nora."

The family said in a statement: "[We] 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."

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 newspaper reported.

Sniffer dogs are also being used in the hunt for Nora, who is the daughter of an Irish-French couple who have lived in London for around 20 years.

But the dogs have so far been unable to pick up a scent, the police chief said.

State deputy police chief Che Zakaria Othman said local indigenous people - known as Orang Asli - are also helping with the search in an area about an hour south-east of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

More family members have travelled to Malaysia - a former British colony - to join the search taking place in 33C heat. Thunderstorms could hit the area from Wednesday.

Mr Othman said: "We've got a platoon from the general operations force as well as a police canine team to look for Nora Anne," he told The Star, adding that more personnel are expected to join the search.

He added that the CCTV system at the resort, near the town of Seremban, is limited to the counter area.

"The girl's passport and other belongings are with the family," he said.

A local man involved in the search, named only as Tan, 47, claims Nora's family had told him that the teen's clothes were still in the room when they discovered her missing.

He told Metro: "Members of the family said that when the teenager went missing all her clothes were left in the room and she was wearing only underwear.

"However, the moment when she went missing wasn't filmed by the closed circuit TV in the resort."

He added: "I believe the girl is still close by."

The state's police chief said claims that Nora was in her undergarments when she vanished were based on a statement from her parents, adding: "We don't know what she was in when she went missing."

Tan, who has lived in the area for 13 years, told the New Straits Times he doesn't believe the teen had been attacked by a wild animal.

He added: "I know the area very well, it's my playground. It's unlikely for the girl to have strayed very far.

"I took it upon myself to find the girl since I know this area. I have gone through every nook and cranny, including nearby villages, but the girl is nowhere to be seen.

"However, I believe she is still around here."

Missing persons charity the Lucie Blackman Trust (LBT) had previously said Nora's disappearance was being treated as an abduction.

The girl's family said they were treating the disappearance as a "criminal matter".

The LBT said in its latest update: "Contrary to several reports that police are NOT treating Nora's disappearance as an abduction, the family have been told directly by police that they are treating it as both an abduction and missing persons case."

Speaking to LBT from Belfast, Nora's aunt Aisling Agnew said: "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."

Her uncle Michael Agnew wrote on Facebook on Sunday: "Any friends with connections in Malaysia pls get in touch if you think you can help in any way, my niece (Nora Quoirin) has gone missing in Seremban an hour or so from KL.

"She is 15 with special needs, and hasn't been seen since everyone went to bed last night."

Nora's father raised the alarm when he discovered her missing from her bedroom at 8am local time on Sunday, a day after the family-of-five checked in during a two-week trip.

Her window had been opened.

Nora, whose mother Meabh is originally from Belfast and whose father is French, is understood to have been travelling on an Irish passport.

Villagers at the Jeram Toi rainforest claim authorities have stopped them from taking part in the search, telling The Malaysian Insight that it was their home and they should know better how to locate the missing girl.

Villager Mohamed Nordin, 71, said: “She is not far, she is around the area.

"We know that, and some of the locals here can help bring back the girl."

Family members in Belfast have set up a GoFundMe page, which had raised more than £10,000 as of Tuesday morning to support Nora's parents while they remain in Malaysia.

It said: "Nóra is my niece. Her parents and our families 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.

"Local police now consider this a criminal matter and are treating it as an abduction.

"On behalf of our entire family, we are appealing to everyone to assist the local police in any way they can, if you are close by please get out and join the search and pass on any information that would help locate our beloved Nóra without delay.

"More family members are travelling to Malaysia to participate in the search and rescue effort and would appreciate donations to cover any unforeseen expenses or charges incurred in the process."

A spokesman for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said: "We are aware of the case and providing consular assistance."

Britain's High Commission in Malaysia tweeted: "Nora Quoirin is missing in #KualaLumpur #Malaysia. If you see her, please report to the local police."

The £200-a-night Dusun resort is set on a 12-acre (five-hectare) orchard in the foothills of the Titiwangsa Main Range and next to the Berembun Forest Reserve.

The resort's website states: "This is a dipterocarp forest, little known outside the orang asli community, which is rich in birds and plant life of all kinds.

"The tigers died out a generation ago, but there are still wild boar and deer, although what you are more likely to see are giant millipedes, monkeys – and leeches.

"The Batang Penar river arises in this reserve and is a main source of water for Seremban."

The resort's six private houses have jungle and river views, access to two infinity pools and their own kitchens and barbecues.