Staff searched for missing British girl until 4.30am
Today the manager at the Mark Warner resort, John Hill, confirmed the British girl missing from the resort in Portugal as Madeleine McCann and her parents as Gerry and Katie.
He said around 60 staff and guests at the purpose-built complex had searched until 4.30am while police notified border police, Spanish police and airports.
“It was a very emotional and very frantic night and everyone did a fantastic job of getting involved and trying to search the area,” he said.
“As you can imagine, Madeleine’s parents are distraught and not doing very well at all.”
He said there was no physical evidence that the girl had been abducted from the family’s rented apartment while they ate at the tapas restaurant 200 yards away.
“It’s still questionable as to whether it’s an abduction,” he said.
“We are hoping that Madeleine is found as soon as possible and safe and well. Everybody here is just wishing that she is found as soon as possible.”
However, Jill Renwick, a family friend, told GMTV that the parents were certain that Madeleine has been abducted.
“They were just watching the hotel room and going back every half-hour and the shutters had been broken open and they had gone into the room and taken Madeleine,” she said.
“They went out about eight, went back in at nine, they were fine, went back in at 10 and she was gone.”
She described the missing girl as a “very pretty, very blonde three-year-old”.
Ms Renwick said of the holiday: “This is the first time they have done this. They are very, very anxious parents and very careful and they chose Mark Warner because it is a family-friendly resort.”
She said the couple, from Leicester, also had twins.
