German and Portuguese authorities searched an abandoned building on Wednesday in the resumed search for Madeleine (Maddie) McCann. Soil research was also carried out. The girl disappeared eighteen years ago at the age of three from a holiday resort in the Portuguese Algarve.
The abandoned property is located a few kilometers away from Praia da Luz, the holiday resort where McCann disappeared in 2007. Ground radar has been used around the building, reports the British newspaper The Guardian.
The girl and evidence have been searched for several times. A search two years ago in Praia da Luz yielded nothing. Now the search is being conducted in the adjacent Lagos, between the plants and trees and in that abandoned building. Local police have removed rubble and shrubs on site.
German justice says the search operation will last “two or three days” in total. The first day remained without result.
German police hope to find evidence that can link a convicted German sex offender to the case. Christian Brückner is suspected of killing the British girl, but has not been charged. He denies any involvement. The German is serving a seven-year prison sentence for rape in Praia da Luz. This sentence expires in September.