A major search operation has been launched in Gran Canaria for a missing Irish woman who disappeared two days ago. Detectives have taken the unusual step of naming her as they intensify their efforts to locate Nicole Claire Ryan, following an "urgent" appeal for information on her whereabouts.
The search for the 46-year-old is centred around the popular Puerto Rico tourist area in the south of Gran Canaria. Overnight, the Civil Guard released a photo of Nicole and a description of the clothes she was wearing.
On Tuesday morning, Decemeber 24, a spokesperson for the force confirmed her nationality as Irish. It remains unclear whether she was holidaying on the island or resides there.
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The Civil Guard force, revealing that Nicole's family had reported her missing, stated: "The Civil Guard has launched a coordinated operation to search for and locate a person reported as missing in the area of Puerto Rico. We were alerted to the 46-year-old woman's disappearance on December 22 by relatives who reported her missing at the Civil Guard station in Puerto Rico."
"The coordinated search involves citizen security units based in the town of Vecindario in the southeast of the island working with other security and emergency forces. The local police covering the municipality of Mogan, which Puerto Rico forms part of, have also been informed, along with other police units, so we can intensify the work that's being done in the area where the woman was reported missing.", reports the Irish Mirror.
The police have also released an official missing person poster featuring a photo of Nicole, identified as Nicole Claire Ryan, with the word URGENTE - the Spanish for Urgent - in bold red letters. The accompanying message in Spanish reads: "Nicole disappeared on December 22 in Puerto Rico in the municipality of Mogan. She is 46 years old and 1.67m (5ft4ins) tall, slim, fair-skinned with brown hair and green eyes. The clothes she was wearing when she was last seen was a multi-coloured animal print sweater, pink trousers and black trainers."
Anyone with information about Nicole's whereabouts is urged to contact the Civil Guard in Puerto Rico.
No further details have been released by the police, other than confirming her Irish nationality following inquiries. The Department of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for comment.
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