Police say the car belonging to a 49-year-old woman from Hoofddorp who vanished on Wednesday morning has been found in Nieuw-Vennep, but the woman herself is still missing.

Investigators believe she was kidnapped while driving to work and are carrying out an intensive search.

The black BMW 530e was discovered in the Getsewoud-Noord district of Nieuw-Vennep, around 10 minutes from the woman’s home on the Mosselplaat in Hoofddorp. She left her house at about 8.30 am to drive to her workplace in Beverwijk but never arrived.

Police said they are “not yet able to provide further details” about why they believe the woman was abducted or whether anyone has been identified as a suspect. “We are weighing all the information we share extremely carefully,” a spokesperson said.

A large-scale investigation team has been set up, and multiple specialist police units are involved in the search.

Officers have also released a photo and description of the missing woman. She is 1.65 metres tall, with dark brown eyes and long dark brown hair. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing dark clothing.

Earlier reports suggested the police had searched at least one house in connection with the case and fear the woman could be in danger.