Mother of fall girl is found dead in cave

A woman's body has been found in a cave in Majorca by police hunting for the mother of Gianna Cooper, the seven-year-old British girl who was severely injured after falling from a fifth-floor hotel balcony, police said last night.

The girl's mother, Sara Cooper, has not been seen since the fall on Monday.

Spanish police found the body at around 5pm local time last night in a seaside cave in Porto Cristo, Cala Domingos.

"The woman has characteristics corresponding to those of the woman who disappeared," a police spokesman said. "Local police were working on the beach and saw a woman floating in a cave. She was wearing jeans and a blue shirt. They have taken the body to Palma's forensic institute to be identified."

Spanish police launched a search operation for Mrs Cooper, 45, from Foxton, Cambridgeshire, after she went missing soon after her daughter's fall.

The authorities in Majorca are investigating how seven-year-old Gianna managed to find her way over the 3.5ft balcony wall of her mother's hotel room in the holiday resort of Calas de Majorca.

Gianna is critically ill after suffering serious head injuries, a broken jaw and internal injuries.