A two-year-old boy went missing from the garden of his grandparents in the south of France, prompting a large search to be conducted.
In the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, a small community near Le Vernet, Émile was last observed on Saturday afternoon playing in front of the family home.
Le Vernet mayor François Balique said on French television that as everyone was getting ready to leave for an outing, Émile “took advantage of this fleeting moment of inattention to leave.”
He added there has been nothing to indicate the toddler, who is a good walker for his age, has been abducted.
Mr Balique said: ‘It’s a small village with 20 or so houses … we see everything. He could have gone some distance and perhaps got lost or was hiding.’
The police were called at about 5.15pm and officers, gendarmes and firefighters began a huge search operation with a helicopter, drones and sniffer dogs.
Many locals have stepped up to help, including Marie-Laure, who co-runs a bistrot in Le Vernet.
She told La Provence newspaper: ‘We were preparing for the evening service when we were told the child had gone missing.
‘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.’
Two people reportedly saw the little boy leaving the house but then lost ‘trace of him’, public prosecutor Rémy Avon said.
The search zone, which initially covered more than 1,200 acres, was enlarged this morning.
The gendarmerie has appealed for witnesses to come forward with any information they might have.
Émile was wearing white shorts and a yellow top when he vanished.