Madeleine's parents offer sympathy after body of Spanish girl linked to McCanns' case is found

A spokesman for the McCanns said they were aware of reports that the body of Mari Luz Cortes had been discovered in the southern Spanish city of Huelva, just 120 miles away from where their daughter Madeleine disappeared in May last year.

Spanish media reports said the body found was found by an oil refinery worker and had been identified as that of Mari Luz, who disappeared on January 13.

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Her badly decomposed body was discovered floating by a wharf in the port near her home.

The McCanns, whose daughter Madeleine has been missing for more than 10 months, said they were "extremely saddened" by the news.

The couple sent Mari Luz's parents messages of support after her disappearance and had also planned to include her in their poster campaign in Spain.

The McCanns' spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, said: "Kate and Gerry are aware of the reports and it's clearly very upsetting for them. It's an absolute tragedy for Mari Luz's family.

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"Their thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time. Kate and Gerry had kept a very close eye on the search for Mari Luz and they felt there was a degree of connection between the two families.

"They sent messages of support after she went missing."

Mari Luz had popped out alone to buy a packet of crisps and never returned.

Police sources said the child's body was dressed in the same pink leotard and boots that Mari Luz was wearing on the day she vanished.

Police said the only visible injury was a wound to her face and a fractured skull and added the extent of decomposition suggested her body had been in the water for some time.

Mari Luz's distraught parents Juan Jose Cortes, 34, a former professional footballer, and Irene Suarez were last night preparing to formally identify the body at the city morgue where an autopsy will determine the cause of death.

They had rushed to the wharf and broke down in tears as their daughter's lifeless body was taken away in an ambulance.

The mayor of Huelva, Pedro Rodriguez said it was "a very sad day and the worst possible outcome."

The child's grandparents criticised the police "for not having looked for the little girl in boats and around the wharfs, as the family repeatedly called for."

The find Madeleine fund had paid for thousands of missing posters featuring photographs of Madeleine, who was three when she disappeared last May 3, and Mari Luz to be put up in shops and businesses around Spain.

And private detectives from Metodo 3, the agency hunting for Madeleine, interviewed Mari Luz's family and friends in case the two disappearances were linked.

The case of missing Mari Luz has gripped Spain and thousands of people have turned out in demonstrations across the country demanding her safe return.