German and Portuguese police have launched a major search operation near Praia Da Luz in the Algarve, examining abandoned properties as part of the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance.
Officers collected earth samples from derelict houses approximately 300 metres from the coastline, depositing them in plastic containers for further analysis.
The operation, requested by German authorities investigating prime suspect Christian Brueckner, involves ground-penetrating radar equipment and encompasses more than 20 privately owned plots east of the coastal town.
The three-year-old vanished from the Ocean Club resort on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her parents.
One of the tents has been set up with equipment during the search
Reuters
A team of approximately two dozen police officers, firefighters and detectives conducted an eight-hour search from 9am on Tuesday.
At one property, four firefighters and a police officer pumped a disused well dry.
Officers used chainsaws, hedge trimmers and pickaxes to clear dense vegetation blocking access to several crumbling ruins.
They removed substantial quantities of earth while working in 22C temperatures, with some wearing face masks to protect against dust clouds.
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Police stand by in the cordoned-off areas
Reuters
Two blue supply tents were set up to store equipment. The search attracted attention from passing cyclists who stopped to observe the dig sites.
The search was initiated at the request of German authorities as part of their investigation into the prime suspect in the case, Christian Brueckner.
Brueckner had rented two properties in Praia Da Luz around the time of Madeleine's disappearance.
The BKA, Germany's equivalent of the FBI, hopes forensic evidence from the dig sites could provide crucial evidence needed to formally charge Brueckner.
McCann went missing over 18 years agoPAHe is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for raping an American tourist in 2005 and has consistently denied involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
The search area covers scrubland dotted with disused wells, crumbling farmhouses and dirt tracks, situated just miles from where Madeleine vanished whilst her parents Kate and Gerry dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends.
Vehicles with German licence plates from Wiesbaden, where the BKA has its headquarters, were waved through cordons on dirt roads in the Atalaia neighbourhood of Lagos municipality.
Portugal's Maritime Police, which has jurisdiction over coastal areas and previously searched beaches, wells and reservoirs using specialist divers, also attended.
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