Madeleine McCann disappeared from a family holiday in Portugal’s Algarve in 2007, but despite extensive searches over the years, she has yet to be found. This week, the police began a new search operation for the girl – who would have turned 20 in May.
It has been 16 years since Madeleine McCann, then aged three, disappeared from her family in the resort of Praia da Luz in the Algarve where they were on holiday. She, along with her two younger siblings, had been left sleeping in the hotel room when the parents went to have dinner. Later that evening they discovered she was gone.
The family remained in Portugal for several months in the hope of finding their missing daughter – but in vain.
Search effort in reservoir
Despite solid search efforts, and a large worldwide media coverage, Madeleine McCann is still missing. On Monday, the Portuguese police announced that they are resuming the search, this time in a water reservoir located about five miles from the Algarve coast.
This is the second time the site has been investigated. Already in 2008, the dam was checked at the request of the Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia, who paid specialist divers for the mission.
The search effort that has now begun is at the request of the German police, reports Sky Newsand both British and Portuguese police will attend.
A large area of the artificial dam has been cordoned off.
The main suspect is in prison
The man who has since last year been formally suspected of murdering Madeleine McCann is a convicted sex offender, who is currently serving a prison sentence after raping a 72-year-old woman in the same area where the girl disappeared.
However, he has not been charged with any crime related to the disappearance. He also denies involvement in the case.
However, it has been claimed that the man visited the reservoir in question, reports Sky News.