Serbia gripped by missing two-year-old girl case as police search for body

Vigils for the toddler have been held for days

All day, and into the evening, people have been laying flowers in tribute to Danka Ilic in the main square of Bor, a copper-mining town in the east of Serbia.

Cuddly toys and balloons are next to the hand-written messages that people have placed in remembrance of the two-year-old girl. Votive candles flicker alongside them.

It is not clear whether those expressing their grief and condolences to Danka's family are local residents or from further afield.

Her disappearance, the ensuing search and finally the confirmation of her death have led the headlines in Serbia since Danka vanished while she was playing at her grandfather's house 10 days ago.

Two men - both aged 50 - are now in custody, suspected of murder. Police say they confessed to hitting Danka with their car.

They failed to call for assistance. Instead, apparently assuming she was dead, they put Danka into the vehicle and drove off.

Some of the details which have emerged are agonising.

Danka's father apparently flagged down the men's car and asked if they had seen the girl.

Despite the fact that she was actually in the vehicle, the men denied so much as setting eyes on her.

The authorities have also raised the question of whether Danka might have survived the initial impact.

Analysis of the men's movements suggests that their vehicle - a Fiat Panda - was travelling at just 20km/h (12.4 mph) at the time of the incident.

Police have been searching a nearby landfill site, in an effort to find Danka's body.

But Serbia's Interior Minister, Bratislav Gasic, says the authorities have information that one of the suspects "transferred the girl's body to another location," adding that the two men are blaming each other.

The arrests ended any hope of finding Danka alive. Now the authorities are simply engaged in the distressing work of trying to find her body.

People in Serbia had been concerned and captivated by a search which went well beyond the borders of the country.

Interpol issued an alert after video emerged of a girl resembling the two-year-old in Vienna.

Several protests planned in recent days and over the weekend have been cancelled out of respect for Danka's family.

Serbia's President, Aleksandar Vucic, has described those responsible for Danka's death as "monsters".

But he praised the police and the public for their efforts to find her, saying it showed "that we have not lost our souls, that people have heart and strength".