The police said yesterday that after they received a number of reports about alleged sightings of the missing British toddler, Madeleine McCann, they are coordinating a full search for her and they are particularly keeping a vigilant eye on harbours, watching passengers and vehicles leaving the country.

The international media was flooded with reports yesterday about the sighting of a look-alike of Madeleine McCann in Malta, after reports first appeared in the Nationalist Party’s newspaper In-Nazzjon on Wednesday and were followed up by other papers including The Malta Independent.

Yesterday was the 50th day since Madeleine was abducted, and her parents, assisted by volunteers from www.findmadeleiene.com, organised a balloon event in about 300 different centres around the world.

Malta was among the participants, with balloons carrying Madeleine’s photograph being released from Cathedral Street, Sliema at about 12.30pm and from the ferry crossing between Sliema and Valletta at about 2pm.

Various media, including but not only the BBC, The Sun, The Daily Mail, Channel 4, Guardian Unlimited, The Daily Record and The Independent, reported that the girl was “sighted five times in Malta” and that “a British tourist in Malta claimed to have seen her in Sliema, heavily disguised with a jet black wig and accompanied by an Arab-looking man who told her: ‘Get up little girl’”.

The Times (of London) reported however, that police hunting for Madeleine in Malta said that they “have ruled out the only photograph taken of a little girl who resembled her”.

In a statement issued late yesterday afternoon, the police said that they had first received a report from a Maltese person on 27 May. The person alleged that Madeleine was seen in Valletta together with a man. This was when the police started to investigate.

The police added that last Sunday, they received another report from two foreign women, who alleged that they had seen a look-alike of the missing girl near the Floriana bus terminus.

The girl was allegedly accompanied by a middle-aged woman and they were seen boarding a bus that was leaving for Qawra and they were then seen stopping in St Paul’s Bay, according to the women’s report.

The duty magistrate was immediately informed and an inquiry into the case was initiated.

After reports about the alleged sightings were published in local media on Thursday, the police received seven reports related to the case from six women, a man and an anonymous person.

According to the information received, the girl had allegedly been seen in various localities including Valletta, Sliema, Mdina and Marsascala, some days or weeks ago.

Another Maltese man also reported to the police that while he was at the Zejtun feast last Sunday, he had managed to shoot a photograph with his mobile phone, of a girl who closely resembled the missing toddler.

Following an analysis of the photograph, the police concluded that the girl was not Madeleine.

The police received two more reports yesterday. Another anonymous person reported that the girl was allegedly seen in Bahar ic-Caghaq on Thursday, while a woman reported that a girl who closely resembled Madeleine could have been in Marsascala about two weeks ago.

Making reference to a report that appeared in British tabloid The Sun, which mentioned a certain Ray Roberts who allegedly spotted the girl wearing a black wig in Sliema last Sunday, the police denied that this man had filed a report, or that he had given his testimony before the investigating magistrate.

The police, through their crime investigation unit, are carrying out a fully-fledged investigation to try and find out whether the girl is really in Malta, but the search has so far given no results.

Constant contact is being kept with foreign police, particularly those that are directly involved in the case. Police officers are particularly keeping a vigilant eye on harbour terminals, watching people and vehicles leaving the country.

Photos of Madeleine were also distributed at harbour terminals and among police on patrol. The police also notified the Maltese public to continue providing information, even on a confidential basis, by phoning 119 or 2121-2211.