Frantic hunt underway for British schoolgirl, 12, who vanished from holiday rental during family trip to Japan
Carmelita Lakdesha Paul was last seen by her family on August 12
A desperate search is underway for a British schoolgirl who vanished while on a family holiday to Japan.
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Carmelita Lakdesha Paul was last seen by her family on August 12 at their Tokyo rental apartment, and was nowhere to be found the next morning.
She was reported missing by the family at 9:30am on August 13.
The 12-year-old had arrived in the country along with her parents and older brother for a sightseeing holiday three weeks earlier on July 21.
Carmelita's dad spoke to his daughter the night before her disappearance and said there was nothing unusual about her behaviour.
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The family's concern mounted when they realised that Carmelita had left her phone at the apartment, meaning they had no means of contacting her.
She is also believed to have left her passport behind and is carrying only a few thousand yen (less than £70).
Investigators spotted Carmelita walking in the Nichome area of Kamata, near where the family had been staying, wearing a black and white skirt, blue tank top, black pumps and carrying a pink handbag on the morning of August 13.
Officers believed she later travelled to Kamata station from where she took a 20 minute train journey south to Yokohama Station. There is no further sighting of Carmelita from there.
Officers are now trying to establish what happened after she arrived at Yokohama Station.
Carmelita is described as being 5ft 3in tall and of medium build, with black curly hair.
It comes as areas of Japan have been drenched by record-breaking levels of rainfall which left the streets of Tokyo flooded overnight.
At leat eight people have died in the extreme rainfall, compounding fears about Carmelita's wellbeing.
More than 20,000 households in Chiba, near Tokyo, were left without power on Thursday night after recording more than 100mm of rain in an hour.
Anyone with information about Carmelita's whereabouts has been urged to contact Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s Kamata Station.