Madeleine Alive In Spain?

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann have said they believe there is a real possibility their daughter is alive and being held in Spain.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Madeleine's father Gerry McCann said: "It's something we didn't consider at the beginning but now we are weighing up seriously.

"There is no surveillance on the border and nobody closed it the night Madeleine disappeared.

The couple did not say whether there had been any concrete information to suggest the four-year-old had been taken to Spain, but said the Spanish police had played an important part in the investigation.

"When we went to Madrid, they encouraged us to continue," said Kate McCann.

"They're involved in the investigation, but I can't tell you what they're working on - they would have to reveal that in an official way," Gerry McCann added.

In the intervews they had requested with the Spanish press, Madeleine's parents said they did not wish to comment on recent reports that blood traces found in the apartment from where the girl was taken did not match her DNA.

Mr McCann told newspaper El Pais that he was not able to talk about the ongoing investigation, although his wife revealed she though it was "not surprising" that the traces of blood might have been someone else's.

"It it possible that Madeleine is dead, but it's also possible she's still alive," Gerry McCann concluded.

"We have no reason to lose hope that our daughter is alive. The police are still looking for her. There is no reason to think that she could have died."