A missing family, including four young children, have gone missing and are feared to be on their way to Syria, police say.

Asif Malik, 31, Sara Kiran, 29, their daughter Zoha, seven, and three sons Essa, four, Zakariya, two, and Yhaya, one, were last seen boarding a ferry from Dover to Calais before travelling south through Europe by train.

‘Syria-bound’

Police say they are increasingly concerned about the family, who have not been seen in England since 8 April. There are also sightings of the family, from Slough, Berkshire, in parts of south Europe.

A police spokesman said: “Given the online rhetoric from the Islamic State encouraging people to travel to Syria, the direction of travel and concerns voiced by Asif’s family, we are concerned the family may be seeking to travel to Syria.”

The #MalikFamily boarded a ferry from Dover to Calais at 00.30am on Wednesday 8/4. Please call 101 with any info. pic.twitter.com/5lNRoTEvnZ — Thames Valley Police (@ThamesVP) April 19, 2015

The family left Slough without mentioning any holiday or travel plans to family members, which is entirely out of character for this family, police said.

Acting Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said: “We are reaching out to Asif and Sara in the hope that they hear our messages, and we encourage them to make contact with us so we can return them safely to their families who are extremely worried about them.

“We would urge anyone with information about the family’s whereabouts to come forward and speak to police so the family can safely return to the UK.”

On Sunday, members of Mr Malik’s family issued a desperate plea for the six to return home.

‘Heartbroken’

In a statement released through Thames Valley Police, they said: “With the reality that our loved one Asif Malik and his family have left the UK without any notice, our lives have been completely devastated. We are totally distraught, upset and in shock. The greatest sadness is the decision by Asif and Sara to travel with their young family, such beautiful children.

“Please Asif, we ask you to think about what has happened and the decisions you have made. Please can you ring us or send us a message to let us know that you and the children are well. All we wish for is your safe return and especially the return of the children. We are not angry with you, we are just heartbroken.”

A police spokesman said there was “no suggestion (the family) were doing any fighting” in Syria, and were unable to confirm whether the family were sympathetic to the rival causes of either Syrian president Bashar al-Assad or Islamic State militants.