The father of a seven-year-old British girl who was swept out to sea in Morocco has made a heartfelt plea for specialist support to locate her, after the official search was abandoned.
Inaayah Makda, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was sitting with her parents on rocks at a Casablanca beach when they were hit by a large wave on January 28. The search, hampered by adverse weather, was called off by Moroccan authorities at the end of February, with no trace of the youngster found.
Her father, Zubair Makda, said the family were continuing their own search but needed expert help. In a Facebook post on Blackburn Muslim Group, he wrote: 'My daughter went missing at Lala Maryem Beach Casablanca in Morocco on the 28th January and she is still missing at sea after getting swept into the sea by an unexpected large wave where I was also swept in and had somehow managed to come to shore safely.'
He added: 'We were struck from behind by a sneaker wave and got caught up in a rip tide with little time to react. The Moroccan authorities have been unable to find her after weeks of searches and have called off the search. We now need further expertise to help find her.'
Mr Makda appealed for anyone with knowledge of sea drift modelling in the area to come forward. The family were on the first night of a week-long holiday when the incident occurred. Zubair and his wife, Tasneem Makda, described the disappearance of their only child as 'devastating', and said Inaayah was a 'bright and gentle little girl'.
