This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/kent/6142526.stm

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 6 Version 7
Search for ferry pair called off Search for ferry pair called off
(29 minutes later)
A major air and sea search for two passengers reported missing on a ferry from Dover as it docked at Calais has been called off.A major air and sea search for two passengers reported missing on a ferry from Dover as it docked at Calais has been called off.
The Anglo-French operation began just before 0300 GMT when the man and woman failed to return to their coach on board the P&O Pride of Kent ferry.The Anglo-French operation began just before 0300 GMT when the man and woman failed to return to their coach on board the P&O Pride of Kent ferry.
The search had been centred on a 25-mile stretch of the Channel.The search had been centred on a 25-mile stretch of the Channel.
The coach joined the ferry at Dover and was heading for Brussels. It was twice searched after the alarm was raised. The coach joined the ferry, which was twice searched, at Dover and was heading for Brussels and Amsterdam.
An air and sea search involving the Dover Coastguard, the RNLI and the French Navy was then launched. The air and sea search involved the Dover Coastguard, the RNLI and the French Navy.
Ongoing investigations
Andy Roberts, of Dover Coastguard, said the couple had been seen on board the ferry just after it set sail from Dover.Andy Roberts, of Dover Coastguard, said the couple had been seen on board the ferry just after it set sail from Dover.
Maritime and Coastguard Agency spokesman Fred Caygill said the decision to call off the search had been jointly taken by the British and French maritime authorities. "Basically because of survival times, if they have gone overboard, there is no chance now that they would still be alive if they're in the water.
Ongoing investigations on both sides of the Channel by the police are continuing. "But investigations are continuing with Kent police, Belgian police and French police as to whether they actually left the vessel or not.
"The one thing we are certain of, they could not and did not leave the vessel as a foot passenger."
The managing director of Eurobusexpress said the missing couple were not believed to be British.
We've been doing this for 15 years and it's the first time anything has happened like this Gerard Hagen, Eurobusexpress
Gerard Hagen described the woman as blonde, and the man as Mediterranean looking.
The pair had bought one-way tickets from London to Brussels shortly before boarding the coach at Victoria Coach Station at 2100 GMT on Sunday.
Mr Hagen said there were eight passengers on board, but only six by the time the coach driver was ready to leave Calais.
"They [the missing couple] only had hand luggage, which is not unusual. No luggage was left on the coach," he said.
Mr Hagen added that no suicide note had been found on the coach.
He said there were a number of other possibilities as to their whereabouts, including the pair boarding the wrong coach or hitching a lift with a lorry driver.
"These people are missing and we don't know where they are.
"They could be in the Channel or anywhere on the continent.
"We've been doing this for 15 years and it's the first time anything has happened like this."
The couple's names have been given to the police.