Maëlys De Araujo
© AFPMaëlys De Araujo
Fears are growing for a young girl who is feared to have been kidnapped from a wedding in France on Sunday.

Maëlys De Araujo, nine, has not been seen since around 3am local time, when she was in a kids' room at the family wedding.

Cops launched a kidnapping investigation and have carried out extensive searches around the venue using police dogs and a helicopter.

All 180 guests of the wedding in Pont-de-Beauvoisin, Isere, have been quizzed.

Police are now interviewing family members of Maëlys' who were not at the ceremony.

An urgent appeal for witnesses has also been issued after police revealed she may have been snatched.

Maëlys was at the wedding with her mum, who is the bride's cousin, her dad and her older sister.

Gregory, a guest, told Le Parisien a frantic hunt was launched after the girl's family noticed she was missing.

Gregory said he believes the youngster has been kidnapped as police dogs found no scent of her outside of the venue's car park, suggesting she has not run away.

Nearby woodland, a river and sewers have been searched by police, firefighters and volunteers.

Local prosecutor Ditlind Baudoin said "no accidental or criminal track has been ruled out" in relation to her disappearance.

Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward to help find Maëlys, who is 130cm tall (4'3"), weighs 28kg (4st 6lb), has dark skin, brown eyes and hair, and was wearing a white sleeveless dress.