LAST UPDATE | 5 Aug 2019

THE FAMILY OF a 15-year-old Irish citizen missing in Malaysia have said they “fear for her safety” and have appealed for help in locating her. 

Nóra Quoirin (15), who has special needs, went missing while on a family holiday in the resort of Seremban, a short distance from the capital Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. 

Nóra’s father raised the alarm when he discovered she was missing from her bedroom at 8am local time on Sunday. Her window had been opened.

More than a hundred people from various government agencies have been mobilised, said Che Zakaria Othman, deputy police chief of Negeri Sembilan state.

Che Zakaria told AFP it was currently classified as a missing person case, not one of abduction.

The Lucie Blackman Trust (LBT), which is supporting the family, said police were searching and investigating in the resort and surrounding areas.

The Dusun is a 12-acre resort in the foothills of a mountain range and next to a forest reserve.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland confirmed it is “aware of the case and is providing consular assistance”.

LBT posted an update on its Facebook page this afternoon:

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.

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Nóra is the daughter of an Irish-French couple who have been living in London for around 20 years. 

“Nóra’s parents and relatives in Ireland and France are distraught by her disappearance,” Aisling Agnew, Nóra’s aunt, said. 

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,” Agnew said, speaking in Belfast. 

The LBT’s chief executive, Matthew Searle, said it is imperative that every resource available is deployed to search for Nóra. 

“It is possible she has been seen or taken in by somebody and is unable to communicate, so we urge everyone who can to share our appeal poster and social media appeals.

“Sadly it is also possible that Nóra has been the victim of serious crime – we urge anyone with any information to come forward.”

 Additional reporting from - © AFP 2019