OVER 300 people held a silent demonstration in Córdoba at the Cruz Conde park where a six-year-old girl and her brother, two, disappeared a week ago.

Their father has been to the police station to report the matter and witnesses – mainly people walking their dogs – say they were approached by him, shaking and white-faced, asking if they had seen any sign of his children.

He was in the process of separating from the children's mother, who lives in Huelva with the little ones, and who has also been to the police station to assist.

Although officers have ruled out any incidence of kidnapping by either parent, they say they are open to any hypothesis.

They have not ruled out that the children may turn up alive.

The children's father said he went to his car just for a few seconds and, when he returned, the brother and sister had vanished.

In Spain, cases of children being kidnapped by paedophiles are statistically very rare indeed.

Those at the demonstration today, who all carried photos of the missing kids – who have been identified as Ruth and José – say they wanted to send out a 'group hug' to their parents and to stress that they were with them in spirit at this difficult time.