Search for girl swept out to sea to be called off

Paul BurnellNorth West
News imageBBC Inaayah Makda, wearing a brown furry jacket and a headscarf, smiles at the camera as she stands next to a water fountain in the shape of a star.BBC
Inaayah Makda, who is an only child, was described as a "bright and gentle little girl"

The search for a British girl who was swept out to sea during a family holiday in Morocco four weeks ago is due to be called off at the end of the month.

Seven-year-old Inaayah Makda, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was sitting with her parents on rocks at a Casablanca beach when they were hit by a large wave on 28 January.

The search operation was recently hampered by severe weather and rough seas, with no trace of the girl found.

News of the search coming to an end was confirmed by Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain, who has travelled to the country to support the family and liaise with authorities.

News imageGetty Images Stock image of people sitting under parasol canopies on the sandy beach behing large rocks next to the sea. Casablanca's buildings appear in the backdrop.Getty Images
The family were on the first night of a week-long holiday in Casablanca it happened

Parents Zubair and Tasneem Makda, described as hard-working professionals, were on their first night of a week-long family holiday with their daughter when it happened.

The family ended up cut off and surrounded by water, when a wave knocked Inaayah one way and her parents the other, a relative said.

She disappeared from view before her father could reach her.

The couple said the disappearance of their only child has been "devastating".

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