Seremban (Malaysia) (AFP)

After intense research in the Malaysian jungle, a body was discovered Tuesday near the site where Nora Quoirin, a young Franco-Irish girl, has been missing for ten days and remains to be identified.

It could be Nora's body, according to the Lucie Blackman Trust, a British charity specializing in helping British families who have disappeared abroad.

"For now, we can not confirm that it is Nora, but it seems sadly likely, and checks are being made to confirm the identity and causes of death," the organization said. in a statement.

Fifteen-year-old Nora Quoirin, who suffers from a mild mental handicap, disappeared during the night of August 3-4, when she had just arrived with her family living in London for a vacation in the resort. Dusun Resort. This resort is located about 70 km south of Kuala Lumpur, on the edge of the jungle near Seremban, the state capital of Negeri Sembilan. A window had been found open in the pavilion where the family resided.

Negeri Sembilan State Police Chief Mohamad Mat Yusop told reporters that "the body of a white woman" was found just before 14:00 (0600 GMT), after information from a civilian to the authorities. The body has not been identified yet, he said.

"It was discovered two kilometers from Dusun Resort where she lived, the body is intact," he added.

After information on the discovery of a body, police vehicles were seen quickly reaching an area planted with oil palms and fruit trees, not far from the hotel complex. A security perimeter has been installed around this area.

- "To be careful" -

The girl's relatives raised the possibility of abduction, telling AFP she was "absolutely not" used to running away. But the local police treated the case as a disturbing disappearance while ensuring not to exclude other leads.

In France, Nora's grandfather, Sylvain Quoirin, told AFP that he wanted to "remain cautious" after announcing the discovery of a body. "We do not know, we found a body, for now, that's all, we're cautious and hopeful," he said.

He nevertheless felt that "it seems absurd" that the teenager walks on such a distance between the hotel and the place where the body was found: "When we know Nora, it is not possible".

If it is confirmed that it is Nora's body, then it will become "a criminal investigation," predicted Mr. Quoirin.

More than 350 people have been mobilized to participate in research in the nearby jungle of Dusun Resort, supported by helicopters, drones, dogs and divers. Her mother's voice was broadcast by megaphone and shamans performed rituals on Monday to try to locate the teenager.

Police examined fingerprints on the window left open as well as testimonies of villagers who allegedly heard a truck early in the morning of the girl's disappearance. Police in Britain, Ireland and France supported the search.

The family had offered Monday a reward of 50,000 ringgit ($ 11,900), funded by a Belfast company, for any information. The Irish mother and the French father of the teenager also thanked the research teams.

© 2019 AFP