A major search operation is under way for a three-year-old boy who has disappeared from his Edinburgh home.
As the night draws in and the temperature drops close to freezing, concerns are growing for Mikaeel Kular, who has not been seen since he went to bed at 9pm on Wednesday night.
His mother and four siblings - including a twin sister - were in the flat in Ferry Gait Crescent, in the Drylaw area at the time.
But when his mother went to find him at around 7.15am this morning, her son was missing.
Forensic teams are examining a second address, a block of flats near Mikaeel's home, while Police Scotland have activated a Child Rescue Alert throughout the UK.
It allows officers to interrupt television and radio programmes with news flashes, while members of the public are urged to call 0300 200 0200 if they have any information that may help police locate the missing youngster.
His jacket and shoes are missing and so far there has been no evidence to suggest a crime has been committed.
The little boy is described as 3ft tall and was possibly wearing a thigh-length beige jacket with a grey fur-lined hood, black gloves with multi-coloured fingers, dark navy blue jogging bottoms, a grey pyjama top featuring an embroidered turquoise dinosaur on the chest and brown shoes with two velcro straps.
He has a faded scar on the bridge of his nose and a sore on the left hand side of his mouth.
Coastguard and lifeboat crews are searching the shoreline in the Cramond and Drylaw areas close to Mikaeel's home, and mountain rescue teams have also joined specialist search teams and residents on the ground.
Detectives are examining CCTV and also want to speak to anyone who may have been travelling through the Muirhouse, Pennywell and Silverknowes areas this morning and may have seen the child walking on his own.
