Interpol is reported to be investigating whether a photograph taken by a Spanish couple on holiday in Morocco could be of missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann.
The photo, which was taken by tourists from the Spanish town of Albacete during a visit to Morocco on August 31st, shows a young blonde girl being carried on somebody's back in a sling.
A photograph taken by a Spanish tourist in the town of Zinat in Morocco on August 31st
The photo was somewhat blurry but appears to bear a resemblance to published photos of the missing girl.
Interpol could not immediately be reached for comment.
The photograph is now expected to be analysed by experts at the British Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop).
They are already scouring photographs taken by holiday makers in the Algarve around the time of Madeleine's disappearance using high tech face mapping technology to identify potential suspects.
It is hoped that the same technology could be used to establish whether the child in the image could be Madeleine.
Madeleine went missing on May 3rd while her family were on holiday in Praia Da Luz, Portugal triggering an international search and a high-profile campaign.
Portuguese police have named her parents as suspects, but they deny any involvement and say they believe she is still alive.
Clarence Mitchell, the McCann's spokesman, said last night: "We do not comment on any individual sightings however in this case the picture was passed to the relevant authorities as soon as it was received and Gerry and Kate are obviously keen for it to be analysed as quickly as possible."