Police hunt for Miss World contestant who went missing with her sister

Police are hunting a missing beauty queen due to fly to London later this week for Miss World 2014.

Reigning Miss Honduras Maria Jose Alvarado vanished with her sister Sofia Trinidad after a party last Thursday.

The pair had been celebrating a friend’s birthday near their home town of Santa Barbara, where student Maria Jose, 19, was spending time with her parents before flying to the UK to represent her country.

The women were last seen getting into a vehicle as they left the party.

Police chief Jose Coello had originally said they were not treating the pair’s disappearance as a crime. But it emerged today that four people, including Sofia’s boyfriend, had been arrested and were being questioned as the last-known people to see them alive.

Mr Coello confirmed: “Four people are under arrest. They include the owner of the party venue and Sofia Trinidad’s boyfriend. They are being investigated.”

The case has caused consternation in the notoriously violent Central American country, home to the most dangerous city on the planet. San Pedro Sula, just over 30 miles from Santa Barbara, is the murder capital of the world with more than 1,200 killings a year among its nearly one million inhabitants.

Its murder rate of 169 per 100,000 people far surpasses anything in north America or larger cities such as Lagos or Sao Paulo.

Maria Jose describes herself on a Miss World website profile as an aspiring diplomat who enjoys playing volleyball and football.

She beat 18 contestants to win the Miss Honduras crown in April.

She missed an appointment yesterday to try on the dress she hopes to win Miss World in. The women’s mother Teresa de Jesus pleaded: “Open your hearts and understand my pain. There is an all-powerful God that sees everything and I hope you set them free.”

Miss World is due to begin on Thursday, with 120 contestants competing for the crown. The grand finale is on December 14 at ExCel London in the heart of the Royal Docks area.

Swiss-born medical student Carina Tyrrell, 24, a qualified ski instructor and competition level gymnast, is representing England.

Scotland is represented by media and marketing student Ellie McKeating, 20. Ireland’s representative is business studies student Jessica Hayes, 20.