Man arrested after girl goes missing from French Alps wedding

Police questioning 34-year-old wedding guest over disappearance of nine-year-old

Maelys went missing at the weekend  in Pont-de-Beauvoisin, France. Photograph: Gendarmerie Nationale via AP
Maelys went missing at the weekend in Pont-de-Beauvoisin, France. Photograph: Gendarmerie Nationale via AP

French police have detained a wedding guest for questioning in connection with the search for a nine-year-old girl who went missing at a weekend wedding party in the Alps.

The 34-year-old was detained on Thursday, prosecutor Dietlind Baudoin said in a statement.

The prosecutor warned against jumping to conclusions.

She said police wanted to clarify the whereabouts of a person who left the celebrations around when the girl disappeared in Pont-de-Beauvoisin, 85 kilometres (53 miles) from Lyon in southeastern France.

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The detained person is a man, according to another official close to the police investigation.

The prosecutor identified the missing girl as Maelys.

A photo and description of the girl has been posted and tweeted across France since her disappearance.

The local prosecutor has opened a kidnapping investigation.

AP