Detectives are scouring an abandoned farmhouse in Portugal’s Algarve region as part of a renewed search for missing British girl Madeleine McCann, who vanished 18 years ago.
Police officers began work on Tuesday, using shovels and pickaxes to clear rubble and vegetation from the site near Praia da Luz. The investigation is focused on finding evidence linking her disappearance to suspect Christian Brueckner.
The German national, 47, faces a seven-year term for rape in Portugal but denies involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance and murder. Her parents have vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in their search for answers.
A total of 30 officers will participate in searches of up to 21 locations over the next three days. Ground-penetrating radar was initially planned, but shovels and pickaxes were used instead.
The investigation has been ongoing since Brueckner’s trial last year, where a tip-off led police to the location. The search area includes multiple buildings and trenches from the time of Madeleine’s disappearance in 2007.
Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/madeleine-mccann-search-missing-praia-da-luz-b2763058.html