A desperate search is underway for a toddler who vanished from a garden while on holiday with his grandparents in the south of France.
Two-year-old Emile, whose surname is unknown, was playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday when he went missing.
His family was preparing to go out for the day when they noticed Emile had vanished, François Balique, the mayor of Le Vernet, told local media.
“He took advantage of this fleeting moment [of inattention] to leave,” he said of the boy’s disappearance.
“His grandparents realised he was no longer there when they went to put him in the car.”
There is no suggestion at this stage that the boy had been kidnapped from Le Vernet, a small village with around 20 houses.
"He could have gone some distance and perhaps got lost or was hiding,” Mr Balique added.
The boy’s grandparents alerted authorities to his disappearance at around 5.15pm local time on Saturday, sparking a huge search operation.
Family members have been joined by police, gendarmes - military police officers - and firefighters in the search.
French gendarmes are briefed before taking part in a search operation for two-and-a-half-year-old Emile who is reported missing for two days, on July 10, 2023— (AFP via Getty Images)
A helicopter, drones and sniffer dogs have been deployed but no trace of Emile has yet been found.
The manager of a local restaurant said staff had looked “everywhere” for the boy.
Volunteers take part in a search operation for two-and-a-half-year-old Emile— (AFP via Getty Images)
“We were preparing for the evening service, when we were told the child had gone missing,” the manager told La Provence.
“We all went to see what we could do to help as quickly as possible.
“We have looked in places where he could be, we have really looked everywhere for him.”
Emile went missing from a small French village on Saturday— (AFP via Getty Images)
The boy, who is from Bouches-du-Rhône near Marseille, was seen by two people when he left the property but they “lost sight of him”.
Emile is described by police as 3ft tall with brown eye and blonde hair.
He was wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts with a green pattern and walking shoes when he vanished.
Police are calling for anyone who has information to contact them urgently.
