Fears child taken from park in Manchester during fireworks display
Written by News on 06/11/2017
Police say they are taking reports a girl has been abducted during a fireworks display "extremely seriously".
Officers from Greater Manchester Police spent several hours searching hundreds of vehicles leaving Heaton Park following Sunday’s event, but did not find anything suspicious.
A spokesman for the force also confirmed they had not received any reports from family members of a missing child, but said they were keeping an open mind.
Superintendent Arif Nawaz said: "I want people to know we are taking this report extremely seriously and are following all possible lines of inquiry, which may cause some disruption to people leaving the event this evening.
"We need to be really clear about what has happened this evening so I’d ask that people refrain from speculating around the circumstances on social media as we follow our processes."
According to reports, the girl is thought to be around six or seven years old.
People on social media said there were long delays leaving the park due to the searches.
Chloe Keenan, 18, from Leigh, Wigan, told the Daily Express it took her two hours to get out.
She said: "We were one of the first ones back to the car and we didn’t move for an hour. Police were walking down the road."
She added: "Police told us that the information was scattered, but that a little girl might have been bundled into a car and they had to search our cars. We were told it could take up to five hours."
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 2512 of 05/11/17 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
(c) Sky News 2017: Fears child taken from park in Manchester during fireworks display
