LONDON • A British family of 12, including a baby and a 75-year-old grandfather, are believed to have gone to Syria after the family reported them missing.

The family, from Luton in Bedfordshire, central England, have not been seen since May, when they failed to return home after a holiday in Bangladesh.

Police on Wednesday said they had flown to Turkey and were due to return to Britain on May 14 but were instead reported missing by a relative three days later, after they had failed to come back home.

"There is a suggestion that the family may have gone to Syria. However, police have, so far, been unable to corroborate that information," the Bedfordshire police said.

Hundreds of Britons are thought to have gone to Syria, many to join militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, who have taken control of large areas of the country.

Last month, 12 members of another family, three sisters and their nine children, from northern England, were suspected of travelling to Syria to join the militant group.

The two older members of the Luton family, Mr Muhammed Abdul Mannan, 75, and his wife Minera Khatun, 53, both had health problems, police said.

The BBC said it is believed Mr Abdul Mannan has diabetes and his wife has cancer. The group included their daughter and four sons, as well as three children aged between one and 11.

REUTERS