Two French girls in kidnap alert

Two young sisters have been reunited with their mother after their overnight disappearance sparked France's first nationwide kidnap alert.

The girls, aged eight and 10, were brought home by a woman living in a neighbouring village in western France.

Some reports had suggested they might have been kidnapped.

The emergency plan was set up in February after heavy media coverage helped secure the release of a kidnapped six-year-old girl.

The national alert involves placing special advertisements in national newspapers and making regular announcements on radio and television.

Mystery disappearance

The two girls, Emeline and Melissa, went missing on Saturday in the village of Bouille-Menard near Angers.

They spent the night away from their mother but were returned home on Sunday.

Earlier, France's Justice Ministry issued a statement saying that the sisters had "appeared to follow [a man] against their will".

After their return, the local prosecutor, Brigitte Angibaud, refused to say whether officials believed the girls had been kidnapped.

Mrs Angibaud told the AFP news agency that the woman who returned the children claimed they had stayed with her, as arranged with their family.

But the girls' mother said she did not know the woman, the prosecutor added.