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Thousands of people have joined the search for missing teenager Gaia Pope who has been missing since 3.45pm yesterday, Tuesday November 7.

The 19-year-old suffers from increasingly severe epilepsy and has not taken her medication with her. She lives in Langton Matravers in Dorset but was last seen at around 3.45pm on Tuesday at an address in Swanage.

Family member Clara Pope-Sutherland said on Thursday night: "Thank you everyone for your ongoing efforts. Family are just going to try and get some rest before another long day tomorrow. As you can probably imagine, we're all extremely tired. Keep going if you can but stay safe, and remember to call 999 if you see Gaia."

The family are "frantic with worry".





Dorset Police say they are very concerned for her welfare and a number of searches were carried out in the area on Tuesday and have continued with the assistance of the coastguard and NPAS helicopter.

A Facebook page finding Gaia has been launched and in just a couple of days membership has swollen to nearly 3,000 members with hundreds of concerned people joining every hour.

Throughout Thursday evening hundreds of people were out looking for Gaia, handing out flyers and updating the page.

Gaia's sisters, family and friends have been helping to organise searches, co-ordinated on the page, and others have taken it upon themselves to organise searches - from Swanage to Poole, and Wareham to Wimborne and beyond.

One poster commented: "I am coordinating the local scouts searching around Wareham.

"We have a lot of areas to cover including Stoborough, Sandford and North Wareham.

"If anyone is in the area and would like to help I am based in the Quay car park and have plenty of areas available."

There have been numerous unconfirmed sightings but nothing has been confirmed.

As Somerset Live reported, her worried family has made a heartfelt appeal to Gaia to make contact with them or Dorset Police.

“We are all frantic with worry Gaia and are desperate to know you are OK. You are not in any trouble and we just want to know you are somewhere safe. Please get in touch with someone to let us know where you are so we can help you.”

The family and friends have also set up a gofundme page which has set a target of £2,000 to help fund the voluntary operation and produce flyers and other publicity.

It's aready raised over £700.

A message on the page says: "Our daughter, sister and friend, Gaia Pope, has gone missing. She is only 19 years old, has been missing for nearly 48 hours and suffers from increasingly severe epilepsy.

"Alongside a full police search we have got a massive voluntary operation to find her and bring her home safe.



"We really desperately need money to be able to do anything we can to find Gaia, including printing posters, flyers and paying for Facebook adverts. Please give whatever you can to help us and to bring Gaia home safe."

Fresh appeal by Police

Dorset Police have issued a fresh appeal for help in finding her.

She was said to be wearing a red checked shirt with white buttons, grey and white woven leggings and white trainers.





Inspector Andy Edwards, of Dorset Police, said: “We are doing everything possible to try and locate Gaia and our extensive search efforts are continuing.



“Our thoughts are with her family at what must be a very difficult time and we are doing everything we possibly can to support them.



“I would urge any members of the public who have information as to her where Gaia could be, or who see a woman matching the description given, to contact police immediately.

"We would also urge anyone who may have dashcam footage from their vehicles covering major routes in Swanage over the last 48 hours to review it to see if there are any sightings of someone matching Gaia’s description.



“Finally, I would appeal to Gaia directly, if she sees this appeal, to contact us or your family as we all want to ensure that you are safe and well.”





Gaia's family has also issued a statement urging her to contact them or police said: “We are all frantic with worry Gaia and are desperate to know you are ok. You are not in any trouble and we just want to know you are somewhere safe. Please get in touch with someone to let us know where you are so we can help you.”



Anyone with information or knowledge as to Gaia's whereabouts is asked to contact Dorset Police at

www.dorset.police.uk via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 9:179. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.https://goo.gl/pqiazT