Interpol chief Meng Hongwei vanishes on trip to China

France has opened an investigation into the disappearance of Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of the international police agency Interpol.

His family have not heard from him since he left Interpol HQ in the French city of Lyon for a trip back to China a week ago, police sources say.

"He did not disappear in France," a source close to the French inquiry told AFP news agency.

Mr Meng, 64, is a senior Communist Party official in China.

The investigation was opened after Mr Meng's wife went to police to report her husband missing.

In a statement, Interpol said it was aware of reports of the "alleged disappearance" of Mr Meng, Reuters news agency reports.

"This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China," it said.

Interpol added that the secretary general - not the president - was in charge of the day-to-day running of the 192-member organisation.

As president, Mr Meng leads the Executive Committee, which provides the overall guidance and direction to Interpol. Mr Meng's term is scheduled to run until 2020.