2 October 2012 Last updated at 18:12

April Jones: Hunt for missing girl in pictures

April Jones was with friends near her Machynlleth home when she got "willingly" into a van at 19:00 BST on Monday, police say. The five-year-old has been missing ever since.

Local people searching for April Jones in Machynlleth

Hundreds of people - along with police - have joined the search for April, who was wearing a purple coat with a fur hood, white polo top and black trousers when she went missing.

A police officer outside the house of missing April Jones

Police say they have received a significant amount of information relating to her disappearance. April is believed to have been taken from outside her home in the Bryn Y Gog estate where she was last seen playing with friends.

Local people set off together from the town's leisure centre to search for the youngster. Following a police briefing, the volunteers were split into groups of up to 20, one going clockwise, the other anti-clockwise around the town.

A sign post for Machynlleth, where April Jones is missing

Road blocks have been set up as officers and local people continue conducting searches of the local area, including woodland and isolated farmland. Police helicopters, the fire service and police dog teams are out, and refuse collections in the area have been suspended as council workers re-deploy to help the search.

Toys close to the home of missing April Jones

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Det Supt Reg Bevan, from Dyfed Powys Police, said officers had gleaned more information from children who had been playing with April shortly before she went missing.

Detective Superintendent Reg Bevan during a press conference in the Welsh Government Building in Aberystwyth Ceredigion

Just before 17:00 BST, police said they had arrested a 46-year-old man from the local areas who is being questioned by detectives.

More people were joining the search all the time on Tuesday afternoon, while overhead the rumblings of a police helicopter and the Wales Air Ambulance could be heard.

Police have praised the "tremendous response" from the community following April's disappearance. At the press conference, police said they were pursuing all lines of inquiry with the view that April was still alive.

A member of the public hands out an appeal leaflet about April's disappearance in the centre of Machynlleth

Members of the public have been handing out appeal leaflets in the town centre. Meanwhile, a 12-mile stretch of the A487 between Machynlleth and Cross Foxes, near Dolgellau, is closed in both directions because of a "police incident".

Local people conduct searches in the fields surrounding missing April Jones's home

Bus companies have also been ferrying groups of people around the rural area to widen the search. Some locals searched an area within a 30-mile radius using quad bikes and off-road vehicles.

Mayor of Machynlleth Gareth Jones said people had travelled from outside the area to help with the search, and he appealed for anyone with information to come forward. "We live in hope," he said.

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April Jones: Hunt for missing girl in pictures

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