Pupils release balloons in Madeleine ceremony

DOZENS of balloons were released into Irish skies yesterday as cities across the globe marked the 50th day since the disappearance of four-year-old Madeleine McCann.

In a poignant ceremony, 50 yellow and white balloons were freed by schoolchildren into a dark and overcast Dublin sky at around 10am.

Madeleine disappeared from her family’s Algarve holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, dined close by.

Yesterday’s event was organised in Ireland’s capital by Vivienne and Seamus Minogue, friends of the family.

“It’s just really heartbreaking, absolutely heartbreaking,” Ms Minogue said.

“Every time I try and think how Kate and Gerry must be feeling, and the immediate family, I can’t go there. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.

“I think they (Kate and Gerry) have been fantastic. They’ve done everything in their power to find Madeleine, and they will continue to have hope as long as there’s no news to the contrary.”

About a dozen children from Hedley Park Montessori School in Dublin’s Merrion Square posed for photographers as they let go of the balloons, which were emblazoned with contact details for people to call if they have information about Madeleine’s whereabouts.

TV personality Lorraine Keane said: “Like so many people I am devastated by the abduction of little Madeleine McCann. As a mother, I just can only imagine what her parents must be going through.”

Meanwhile, police in Malta are pursuing a “full-scale” investigation into sightings of Madeleine.

Maltese newspaper In-Nazzjon reported that two tourists claim to have seen a girl matching Maddy’s description in Valletta on Saturday. Subsequent reports said four other people had since come forward with possible sightings on the Mediterranean island.