Searches by German police have resumed in Portugal.
A fresh police search has begun 18 years after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. (PA)
The surrounding areas of more abandoned buildings are being cleared near the area where Madeleine McCann was last seen before her disappearance in Portugal 18 years ago.
As the new search enters its second day, teams could be seen using hedge trimmers around more run-down buildings in the same scrubland area on the outskirts of Lagos where teams started investigations on Tuesday. A digger was seen picking up rubble from one abandoned structure in countryside a few miles from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine’s family was staying on holiday when she vanished in May 2007.
The search operation marks the first since 2023, when a search of the Barragem do Arade reservoir failed to provide any new leads or evidence against principal suspect Christian Brueckner.
One of the derelict and abandoned properties close to Praia De Luz, Portugal, which has been searched by teams. (PA)
Search teams have begun clearing the surrounding areas of more abandoned structures. (PA)
The searches of abandoned buildings have entered their second day. (PA)
Brueckner, who is in prison in Germany serving a seven-year term for rape in an unrelated case, has denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
The 48-year-old was acquitted in October last year of a separate set of rape and sexual assault offences in Portugal, with prosecutors awaiting the outcome of an appeal.
Millions have already been spent on the search for Madeleine – known as Operation Grange – with ministers recently approving an additional £108,000 for the probe in 2025/26.
What do we know about the new search for Madeleine McCann?
Personnel wore protective gear such as hard hats and face masks as they cleared vegetation around the structures on Wednesday.
Search teams were seen draining a well and clearing areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings on Tuesday, the first day of the new search.
Maps show the latest search areas in the Madeleine McCann disappearance. (PA)
German investigators along with Portuguese police officers and firefighters were working in a little-developed area of countryside a few miles from Praia da Luz.
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They used strimmers, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris around an abandoned building, and drained a well using a yellow hose.
Search teams look through a derelict and abandoned property to the west of Praia De Luz, Portugal, on Tuesday. (PA)
Search teams near a derelict and abandoned property to the west of Praia De Luz, Portugal. (PA)
Personnel wore safety gear such as gloves and hard hats as they worked in the dense vegetation, and firefighters and police were seen using a yellow hose to drain a well.
Around a dozen officers focused on one abandoned building where digging was taking place, while another member of the search team cleared large rocks.
The Sun reported investigators are also planning to use radar equipment that can scan beneath the ground.
Christian Brueckner has been named as the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. (AP)
The search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police as it looks for evidence that could implicate prime suspect Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. He is due to be released from jail in Germany in September if no further charges are brought.
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The search is set to last for three days, unless anything of significance is found that would justify an extension.
How much has been spent on the search for Madeleine McCann?
According to figures from the Met Police, the total amount spent since 2011 stands at £13.2m.
The force said the figure only relates to the costs incurred in Operation Grange, and does not include the costs of other national and international investigators, where payment came privately.
In April, Home Office sources said a request to provide up to £108,000 was approved for the probe for 2025/26.
Searches for Madeleine McCann continue 18 years after her disappearance, with personnel searching the Algarve pictured here in 2023. (PA)
It is understood one detective chief inspector, one detective constable and one member of police staff are working on the investigation.
Kate and Gerry McCann said in 2023 that efforts to find their daughter continue “with the same determination, commitment and vigour” and will “eventually yield results”.
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The Met said it is aware of the latest search operation but that British officers are not present.
How much has been spent on Operation Grange each year?
Since Scotland Yard launched Operation Grange in 2011, the amount of funding received in a single year has dropped from a high £2.7m in 2012 to £190,000 in the first nine months of 2022, according to the Met Police.
The full figures are:
2011: £1,914,737.27
2012: £2,746,633,32
2013: £2,601,020,52
2014: £2,470,448,28
2015: £1,147950,22
2016: £332,994.65
2017: £294,990,59
2018: £301,775,56
2019: £292,045.24
2020: £327,383,86
2021: £324,044,54
2022: £190,131.17
2023: £100,000
2024: £192,000
2025: £108,000
What happened to Madeleine McCann?
Madeleine vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on 3 May, 2007. The toddler, from Rothley, Leicestershire, was on holiday with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and her twin siblings.
The McCanns left the children asleep in the unlocked ground floor apartment at the Ocean Club resort while dining 50 metres away and at 10pm, Kate McCann discovered Madeleine had vanished.
Kate and Gerry McCann continue to believe the search for their daughter will yield results. (PA)
The disappearance sparked global attention and a major investigation. Portuguese police closed its case in 2008, but the UK’s Operation Grange continues.
In 2012, Scotland Yard suggested Madeleine could still be alive, releasing an age-progressed image of how she might look at nine years old.
In 2020, German authorities named Brueckner as the prime suspect, with phone records placing him nearby that night. However, he has denied being involved in Madeleine’s disappearance.
