Man charged with murder after body of Australia girl found in barrel

A man has been charged with murder after a child was found dead in a barrel in Australian bushland.

The girl who cannot be identified for legal reasons was on holiday with her mother when she disappeared last Thursday from a property in the Blue Mountains near Sydney.

Her disappearance sparked a massive search that ended on Tuesday when officers discovered the child’s body near a river in a neighbouring area.

Police said a 31-year-old man had been arrested in a flat in inner Sydney.

He faced a court today but did not enter a plea on a murder charge or apply for bail as his next hearing will be in March.