Madeleine McCann: Police launch new search for girl in Portugal reservoir
Global News
The active reservoir search is around the area of the Arade dam, about 50 kilometres from the area in southern Portugal where Madeleine McCann vanished 16 years ago.
Police in Portugal are again searching for Madeleine McCann, the British three-year-old who disappeared while on vacation with her family in 2007.
The active search began Tuesday in a reservoir around the area of the Arade dam, about 50 kilometres from Praia da Luz in southern Portugal where McCann vanished 16 years ago. The search was requested by German police, who claimed a suspect in the case visited the area around the time McCann disappeared.
German native Christian Brückner was named an “arguido,” meaning suspect, in 2022 after German authorities said “new evidence” connected Brückner to McCann.
During the active search, officials used rakes and hoe-like tools to prod the ground beside the dam while other firefighters were observed in a dinghy on the reservoir.
Portuguese media said this is the fourth search for McCann, following the initial one in 2007 in the Algarve area and then two more in 2013 and 2014. Another search was held in Germany in 2020.
This search is expected to take two days. It is not the first time the reservoir has been searched in connection with the case.
Referring to the latest searches, German prosecutor Christian Wolters said Tuesday that police in Portugal are investigating “on the basis of certain tips.” He did not provide any further information.
Portuguese, German and British officials are working in collaboration on the search.