Nora Quoirin: Missing girl's parents thank jungle search teams

The parents of missing teenager Nora Quoirin have thanked search teams scouring the Malaysian jungle for her.

Meabh and Sebastien Quoirin said "terima kasih" - "thank you" in Malay - to those searching for Nora, last seen at the Dusan holiday resort on Sunday.

A team of 250 is looking for the 15-year-old, who has special needs.

Ms Quoirin thanked search teams for their work "especially at a special festival time", referring to the Islamic festival of Hari Raya Haji.

"We want to say thank you to each and every one of you," she said.

"We know you're searching night and day for Nora."

She added: "To be with us here, it means the world to us. We are so grateful for everything that you are doing for us, everyone who is helping here and not from here.

"We are extremely impressed by the effort, your expertise, your dedication and we hope you find Nora."

The Quoirins, an Irish-French family who have lived in London for 20 years, arrived in the Dusun forest eco-resort in southern Negeri Sembilan state a week ago.

Nora, who has an Irish passport, was last seen on Sunday.

Nora's father raised the alarm the following morning when the teenager was missing from her bedroom with the window open.

The teenager's family said she was born with holoprosencephaly, a disorder which affects brain development, and that she "struggles with co-ordination".

Her family have said Nora is "not independent and does not go anywhere alone".

Over the past few days a recording of Nora's mother saying "Nora darling, Nora I love you, mum is here" has been played out on loudspeakers into the jungle.

Her aunt Éadaoin Agnew said Nora had spent a lot of time in hospital "all her life", and needed operations after she was born, to help her breathing.

"Nora's very shy and can be quite anxious," Ms Agnew said, adding: "She was just extremely excited to spend time with her family in Malaysia."

By Howard Johnson, BBC News

Meabh Quoirin talked emotionally to the teams looking for her daughter and her husband Sebastian rubbed her arm as she spoke.

This is the seventh day of searching and there is not a shred of evidence of Nora in the area.

The family want to explore the idea that she has been abducted. Police are refusing to rule it out but at the moment it's being treated as a missing person inquiry.

It's a difficult area to search - there's lots of mud, there are vines that trip you up and there are rivers and creeks.

They are using six teams, made up of 250 people, who are searching 6sq km of this nature reserve.

Special prayers were held for the teenager at the nearby Kariah Pantai Mosque on Thursday.

Police chief Datuk Mohamad Mat Yusop said it was believed Nora had climbed out of the window.

He told Malaysian publication The Star they needed to find her urgently.

Nora's photograph is also being handed out at roadblocks in the area and Irish Police have sent a Garda liaison officer to Kuala Lumpar to assist the family and liaise with the authorities.

Missing persons charity the Lucie Blackman Trust, which is supporting the family, has provided a hotline and email address for information.

People can remain anonymous and can call +448000988485 or email [email protected].