Nora Quoirin, 15, who has learning difficulties, has been missing in the Malaysian jungle for a week after she disappeared from an eco-resort in the Dusun forest where she was holidaying with her family
The search for missing teen Nora Quoirin been has intensified with fresh volunteers joining the 300-strong search party in the Malaysian jungle.
Police have searched the homes of staff working at the eco-resort where the Quoirin family are staying, and questioned a taxi driver who drove them from Kuala Lumpur to their holiday villa.
Bukit Aman – the country’s equivalent to the FBI – have also run a background check on all known paedophiles and criminals in the area, a standard procedure performed in any missing person case.
A survival expert has today spoken to MailOnline, saying he believes missing teen Nora Quoirin could still be alive after a week alone in the jungle.
Former Air Force major Kalam Pie said the 15-year-old has a chance of surviving if she has been able to find water and stay hydrated in the stifling summer heat.
Volunteers have joined the more than 300-strong search party sifting through the area surrounding the Dusun forest eco-resort where Nora disappeared from last Sunday.
In an assessment that will come as a huge boost the parents of the missing teen, Pie told Mail Online: ‘There is still hope for her.
‘I would urge the police to keep on with their search and the family to keep on praying.
Former Air Force major and survival expert Kalam Pie (pictured) has be there is a chance missing Nora Quoirin could still be alive. ‘There are many hazards and dangers in the jungle, but provided she has managed to find water then she could be alive,’ he told MailOnline
Volunteers who have joined the 300-strong search party receive a briefing before conducting a search and rescue operation for Nora
Meabh Quoirin (pictured with husband Sebastian) has thanked Malaysia police for helping search for their daughter Nora, 15, who went missing from the eco-resort in the Dusun forest where they had been staying
Search crews looking for the 15-year-old have begun playing her mother´s voice in the dense Malaysian forest near where she disappeared
‘There are many hazards and dangers in the jungle, but provided she has managed to find water then she could be alive.’
The survival expert also warned of the many threats in the jungle, in particular deadly snakes such as Cobras and Vipers.
Yesterday Nora’s parents Meabh and Sebastian thanked state police officers and rescue workers for their ‘effort and dedication’ to the search and urged them to keep on looking in the hope they will soon find Nora.
As part of his training with the military, Kalam Pie had to survive in the jungle for 14 days, foraging food and water and building his own shelter
The search for the missing teen has now entered its eighth day, but police said they had still found no trace of Nora.
Her parents have suggested that she could have been abducted, but officials are continuing to treat it as a missing person’s case.
At a press conference yesterday, Police chief Mohamad Bin Mat Yusof said: ‘We are very worried about Nora’s welfare and do not know how long she can survive. We have no sign of her and no leads.’
Nora, who has learning difficulties and ‘couldn’t go anywhere alone’ according to relatives, is thought to be only wearing nightwear and was most likely barefoot with police convinced she left the holiday villa by a ground floor window.
Pie, who runs a jungle survival training school, grew up in the area where the police search is concentrated and knows the type of hazards the teen faces.
He told Mail Online how a student who got lost on a trek up Mount Tahan a decade ago and was found alive after 19 days in the jungle.
Others have also survived several days without food and limited water but admitted he wasn’t aware of a tourist going missing for such a long time.
Negeri Sembilan Police Chief Mohamad Mat Yusop (pictured centre) holds a placard shows national hotline number for operation search and rescue during a press conference yesterday
Malaysia Civil Defence Force officers participate in a search and rescue operation down a rocky stream in search of Nora, who has been missing for a week in the Malaysian jungle
He said those familiar with the jungle have a greater chance of being found alive.
‘The key to staying alive in the jungle is water. If she is able to find a stream or even catch rainwater then she has a good chance. It is possible to go without food, but she would be very weak and possibly faint,’ said Pie.
He admitted Nora’s learning and developmental difficulties would make her even more vulnerable to surviving out on in the open.
By far the biggest threat in the jungle comes from poisonous snakes and the temptation to try and eat fruits that are potentially deadly.
A Royal Malaysian Police helicopter with thermal imaging cameras was seen swooping low over the resort and flying in circles over the area where Nora and her family had been staying in a two bedroom villa
Police said on Saturday they did not think the teen had wandered too far and would concentrate on a 4km area of thick jungle vegetation
‘Unfortunately where Nora is missing there will be Cobra and Vipers and their bites are deadly. Without the proper medical care death comes very quickly,’ he said.
‘It has been raining quite a lot and this brings the snakes out.’
‘There are figs that look like the type you can eat but the ones in the jungle are not the edible kind and can be poisonous.’
He added that caterpillars found in the jungle surrounding the Dusan Eco resort about 20 miles from the town of Seremban can also prove deadly.
‘They have a bite that can cause breathing problems’, he said.
As part of his training with the military Pie had to survive in the jungle for 14 days, foraging food and water and building his own shelter.
He now passes on his expertise to students who attend his survival course at the Jungle School in Gombak.
Schools in the area send students on survival courses as they live so close to the jungle and have to be aware of the dangers around them.
Pie grew up in a village in the same region where Nora has gone missing so knows the area well.
He said military contacts had told him trackers who are indigenous to the region are taking part in the search and known as Senoi Praaaq.
‘They know the are better than anyone else as they are indigenous to the area and have an understanding and knowledge much better than anyone else. I am sure if she is out there they will find her.
‘I know seven days is a long time, but she can still be found alive. We have to hope.’
Search teams today focussed on the immediate area around the eco resort.
Police said on Saturday they did not think the teen had wandered too far and would concentrate on a 4km area of thick jungle vegetation.
A police helicopter with thermal imaging cameras swooped low over the resort flying in circles over the area where Nora and her family had been staying in a two bedroom villa.
Search and Rescue workers said they had found no sign of the teenager or any leads as to where she could be. The police chief leading the search has said he now fears for her safe return.
‘There is nothing, but we will continue to search,’ said Mohammed Faidzu as he used a machete to hack at dense undergrowth.
He said most of those taking part were keeping open mind over the chances of Nora being found alive.
Despite Sunday being a religious holiday for Muslims in Malaysia the search teams agreed to continue with Nora’s mum thanking them in an emotional address for their tireless work.
Police have set up a phone hotline for locals to ring with information about the missing teen.
It came as 10,000 posters featuring a photo of Nora Quoirin were handed out by volunteers in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding area.
They had been printed by the Lucie Blackman Trust who have been supporter family.
Police chief Mohammad Yusop refused to comment on a report that Nora’s family were planning to offer a reward for information that leads to her safe return.
He said the 8th day of the search had failed to find any trace of the teen and added that 30 homes in the area had been searched.
Asked about one villager saying they heard a truck on the single track road leading to the eco-resort at 3am, Yusop said he would look into it.
The villager had said it was unusual for a vehicle to be on the road in the early hours of the morning.
Police remain convinced that Nora wandered away from the villa rather than being forcibly taken.
It is the first time police in the area have had a missing person reported.
The search area remains open to hikers and Yusop asked that they keep a lookout for the teen.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lucie Blackman Trust intelligence on ops@lbtrust.org or +44 800 098 8485
Nora, 15, went missing while on a holiday with her family in Malaysia (Handout/PA)