April search now in hostile terrain

The search for missing April Jones has continued to widen in hostile terrain as as police question her suspected abductor for more clues about her whereabouts.

Mark Bridger, 46, has been interviewed twice by officers focussed on any information he may have about where five-year-old April is.

Police said they would not reveal what the former soldier had said to avoid jeopardising the search but stated they are looking into his past to build up a profile.

Meanwhile, the search continued to grow in the area around April's home town Machynlleth, on the fringes of Snowdonia national park in mid Wales, an area described as a "hostile environment".

Superintendent Ian John, of Dyfed Powys Police, said the scale of the investigation was "unprecedented".

He said: "The search operation is continuing to grow and grow at quite a pace.

"We've got over 100 mountain rescue experts, 100 police-trained search officers, 20 dog-handlers, two vessels to search the river, a team of kayakers, as well as the Dyfed Powys Police marine unit."

Three UK experts have also been drafted in to help with the hunt.

Mr John continued: "There are a large number of sites we are looking at.

"They are very varied in nature and the terrain that we are working in and the geography that we are working in is very challenging. It's been described to me as a hostile environment. By that, I mean the ground is quite treacherous and we have had a lot of rain."