Bikers join search for missing girl

A Portuguese motorcycling club carry posters of Madeleine McCann

Up to 600 Portuguese motorcyclists are preparing to travel the length of the country, distributing appeals to help find missing Madeleine McCann.

Members of the Motards da Praia motorcycling club in the village of Praia da Luz are setting off to the north of the country to rendezvous with like-minded bikers for the mission.

The around 50 members of the club rode through the village wearing crosses made of ribbons - yellow in honour of Madeleine and a green ribbon. In Portugal green is the colour of hope because of its association with spring.

Joaquim Imaginario of the club said that they would set off on their four-day ride to the north soon to meet the other motorcyclists. He said they would then begin to criss-cross the country spreading word of the appeal to outlying areas.

He said: "We're going to do a bike ride from the north to the south of Portugal stopping and going through all the places where media cannot reach so easily - newspapers, television or the internet.

"There will be over 600 bikers in this journey and we will be taking with us pictures of little Madeleine to distribute throughout - to people who may not have already heard of her disappearance or seen photographs of her."

He said that the members of the club had been shocked by Madeleine's abduction right on their doorstep.

He said: "On the night of Madeleine's disappearance we were in a meeting of the club when we heard news that she had disappeared, and started off the searches for her in our local area."

He added: "Everyone throughout the whole of Portugal, everywhere, are looking in ditches, empty buildings, everywhere that is possible, for little Madeleine. This is something which just does not happen - it has touched very closely to the hearts of all the Portuguese people.

"We are hoping that somebody who has not been in contact with media for different reasons, such as location, can be informed of her disappearance and help look for her."