Madeleine McCann case: major international operation to find the remains of the girl who disappeared in 2007

Portuguese police divers began an intense search today in the Arade reservoir, located 50 kilometers from Praia da Luz, where Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007 when she was three years old.

In a new stage of the operation, the British police were also added, under the direction of the German police, according to Portuguese and British media.

The prosecutor's office in Brunswick, northern Germany, officially confirmed in a statement the start of new searches around the girl's case and indicated that "they are currently ongoing in Portugal."

The Arade area is about 50 kilometers from Praia da Luz, the place where the British girl was last seen alive in 2007. Photo: AFP

However, the German justice did not give more details about the nature and location of the searches for this case, one of the biggest criminal enigmas of recent years.

According to Portuguese and British media reports, the operation aims to find evidence that could link the disappearance of the British girl to German citizen Christian Brueckner, who was declared a formal suspect by Portuguese prosecutors in 2022.

Between 20 and 30 policemen, some of them in uniform, were seen in the area of the Arade reservoir, about 50 kilometers from Praia da Luz, Photo: AFP.

He is currently in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same area where Madeleine disappeared, although he was not charged with any crime related to her disappearance and always denied involvement.

However, authorities discovered that Brueckner visited the picturesque site at the exact moment Madeleine disappeared, leading to a focus on the Arade reservoir as a possible key setting in this long and complex investigation.

They look for remains in a pond. Photo: AP

Brueckner lived near the Praia da Luz resort when the McCann family was on vacation.

Although the authorities have not yet revealed specifically why the operation is being carried out, since the early hours of today, police teams set up camp in the vicinity of the reservoir, preparing for an exhaustive search that, according to media estimates, is expected to yield some results.

A Portuguese Emergency Services vehicle carries wheelbarrows at the search site. Photo: Reuters.

As reported by BBC News, divers, equipped with the latest underwater search technology, clustered in the vicinity of the reservoir, ready to dive into its waters in search of any clues that might help unravel the mystery surrounding Madeleine's disappearance.

Maddie disappeared in 2007. Photo: AP

Meanwhile, on the nearby beach, a boat is prepared to transport the people involved in the operation to the reservoir.

In addition, sniffer dogs were deployed along the shore, hoping to find any clues that may be relevant to the investigation.

The collaboration between the authorities of Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom continues to be fundamental to unravel this mystery that has kept public opinion in suspense for more than a decade.