Family 'numb' over missing woman

Eileen Owen in Gran Canaria shortly before she disappeared

The family of a south Wales woman missing in the Canary Islands for 10 days say they feel "numb" over her disappearance.

Eileen Owen's daughter Nicola has returned home to Abercynon in the Cynon Valley after joining in the search on Gran Canaria.

Mrs Owen, 53, disappeared in the middle of the night from her hotel on the Spanish island while on holiday with her husband.

Spanish police remain baffled.

A police helicopter has joined the hunt and posters have been circulated.

The Owens had gone to the resort of Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria for a week's holiday.

A poster of Mrs Owen has been circulated across the resort

A police spokesman in Las Palmas said: "There's no sign of this woman. We've had a helicopter up and search parties over a wide area."

Mrs Owen was last seen when she went to bed with her husband Michael, also 53, at their apartment hotel on Saturday, 17 July.

About an hour later, early on Sunday, her husband woke up and found she had gone.

The police spokesman added: "We shall not give up. But why she left her hotel room, we do not know."

As members of her family, including her husband, remained on the island to help, the spokesman added: "The search will continue."

Mrs Owen, a receptionist at the art and design college in Pontypridd, did not take any money, clothes or her passport with her.

The holiday was Eileen Owen's second trip to Gran Canaria

The couple's children, Nicola, 35, and Neil, 29, flew out last Wednesday to help their father in his search.

Mrs Owen had visited the island once before but had been to a different resort on that occasion.

Her daughter Nicola said: "We're numb, we don't know what the next step is.

"We've been searching the bars, restaurants and have put posters up in shops, doctors, hospitals, everywhere we can think of."

On the night she disappeared Mrs Owen went out for a meal, but was said to have been in a strange mood and did not eat or drink anything.

She is of medium build, about 5ft 1in with dark hair, and was last seen wearing black trousers and a Spink t-shirt.