Amber Alert issued in Quebec for 2 missing children and their father

CBC News is no longer naming the two girls because the Amber Alert has been lifted. References to their names and other identifying information have been removed from this story. For the latest on this story, go here.

A large-scale search for a 44-year-old father and his two young daughters is continuing in Quebec Friday morning.

According to provincial police spokesperson Sgt. Louis-Philippe Bibeau, officers have reason to believe the girls were abducted by their father, Martin Carpentier.

Carpentier and the two girls are from Lévis, Que., across the St. Lawrence River from the province's capital, Quebec City. An Amber Alert was issued for them Thursday afternoon.

Carpentier is five feet 10 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He was last seen wearing a grey T-shirt and jeans. He may be wearing glasses and is described as having thinning hair.

The girls and their father were spotted in a convenience store in Saint-Nicolas, Que. around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Bibeau said.

Police say the family's vehicle was then involved in a crash on Highway 20 at around 9:30 p.m. that same evening.

Police say the grey Volkswagen Passat was heading east when it rolled over several times and came to rest in the opposite lane.

The crash occurred in the Lotbinière region, about 70 kilometres west of Quebec City. When police arrived, there was no one in the vehicle.

Bibeau said the officers are exploring multiple hypotheses, including a theory that the girls were not in the car at the time of the crash.