A search is under way for a missing British schoolboy who was caught in a fierce storm during a solo bike ride on a holiday island off the coast of France.
Pierre Barnes, 12, disappeared on Saturday night after going for a ride around Porquerolles a few hours after arriving on the island for a half-term break with his family.
Rescue teams have been scouring the island and his damaged bike and one of his shoes were found on Monday near a coastal path.
Pierre's father, Stephen Barnes, the head of a property company, told French television: "I am certain he went off on an adventure on his bicycle but in the forest all the little tracks look the same. He is lost but he is a strong boy and I hope he found a place to sleep where there was not too much wind. It's difficult to say what you can do when you are cold and frightened."
While Barnes, from Grantham, Lincs, and his wife, Florence, 43, originally from Moisenay, near Paris, and their three other children maintained a vigil at a fire station, authorities and more than 150 volunteers searched the island, which is 22 miles south-west of Toulon.
The ground, sea and air search operation was being carried out in dire conditions, with gale-force winds of up to 80mph creating six-metre (20ft) waves around the coast.
Locals said the tracks and paths could be very narrow and in some places were close to the cliffs, but it was the first time a child had gone missing on the island.
The family hired bikes at about 2pm on Saturday after arriving for a week's holiday, and Pierre set off about four hours later. When he had not returned by 9pm his parents raised the alarm and a large-scale search was launched, including two helicopters, dinghies and sniffer dogs. About 20 military personnel joined the search, alongside national park rangers and customs officials.
Locals said Porquerolles was generally considered a safe place to explore. "The island is the safest place in the world," one hotel owner told the Daily Telegraph. "I have children and would never, ever think twice about letting them go off on their bicycles alone. This is very worrying for everyone in the village."
Veronique Fleury, of Le Pelican, which runs water taxi transfers to the island, said: "Everyone is trying and trying to find him. We went all night long, all across the island hoping to find him. It was very rough weather and at sea. We hoped he just had a problem with the bicycle or got lost in the forest, but he's still missing. His family are waiting very anxiously for news."
Clement Perrin, who works at Bar Café du Port, said she had seen Mrs Barnes after Pierre went missing. "She came in to say she lost her son, and we searched around for him night and day. She was very anxious, and it was very bad," he said. "A lot of people are worried because they don't know what has happened."
The south of France has been hit by severe storms in recent days. A ferry broke its moorings on Sunday and was being held in the port of Marseille, and more than 23,000 homes were without power after winds resulted in broken lines.
