The family of missing teenager Nóra Quiorin says she has never wandered off or got lost.

15-year-old Nóra has been missing in Malaysia since the early hours of last Sunday morning.

She has not been seen since she went to sleep with her family at the Dusun Holiday Resort, around 60km south of Kuala Lumpur.

A major search is ongoing in Malaysia, with police having combed through a 6km² area around the resort without finding a trace.

A Garda Liasion Officer (GLO) has been deployed to Kuala Lumpur to assist the Department of Foreign Affairs, who are providing consular assistance to Nóra's family.

The officer "will liaise as required" with Malaysian police, as well as UK and French authorities, to assist in the search effort.

Nóra lives in London with her mother Meabh - who is from Belfast - and her French father Sebastien.

In a statement released today, Nóra's family described the teenager as "fun, funny, and extremely loving" - but said she is "not independent and does not go anywhere alone".

They explained: "Nóra was born with Holoprosencephaly; this means that she has a smaller brain. All her life she has spent a lot of time in hospital. When she was born, she needed operations to help her breathing.

"Nóra has always needed dedicated specialist educational provision, and now attends a school for children and young people with learning and communication difficulties."

The family said that Nóra is very proud that she can speak French and English - but noted that her verbal communication is limited.

They said: "Nóra can read like a young child, but she cannot write more than a few words.

"She has a good memory but she cannot understand anything conceptual.

"She is unable to do maths and so things like money are impossible to manage. She cannot make or receive phonecalls independently. She can wash and dress herself, though she cannot manage buttons, and struggles to wash her hair.

"At school, she is learning to ride a bicycle properly. Nóra likes to walk with her family, but her balance is limited and she struggles with coordination."

'Very sensitive'

While Nóra has been to Asia and many European countries before, her family has stressed that she's never wandered off or got lost before.

Their statement adds: "Nóra is very sensitive. Outside the family, Nóra is very shy and can be quite anxious.

"Every night, her special time is for cuddles and a night-time story with her Mum. And she was extremely excited about the family holiday in Malaysia.”

Her family thanked local police and all those involved in the ongoing search - saying some people have been working "all day, every day" since Nóra's disappearance last weekend.

In a press conference earlier today, Police Chief Mohamad Mat Yusop said officers are now re-focusing their efforts on the resort itself to find “any information” on where she went missing from.

They are also investigating the buildings and chalets within the resort and checking phone and emails records.

Although police have been treating it as a missing persons case, he said criminal investigation teams have been involved since day one.

A gofundme account, set up to help the family travel to Malaysia and assist in the search, has now reached almost €79,000.