New search for Briton Madeleine McCann, who disappeared as a toddler, will focus on land, not water

By Inke Kappeler, Amy Croffey, Sharon Braithwaite, and Marcelo Medeiros, CNN

(CNN) — Police investigating the disappearance of Briton Madeleine McCann, who vanished as a toddler, will carry out a new search in Portugal based on a recent tip, German authorities told CNN on Monday.

The new search will take place near the Arade reservoir near the Portugese city of Silves, around 50 kilometers from the resort area where McCann disappeared in 2007, according to CNN affiliate CNN Portugal.

The investigation is expected to begin Tuesday and take place for a maximum of two days, CNN Portugal also reported, adding that British and German police will observe the search by Portuguese police.

Authorities will focus on land rather than water, sources also told CNN affiliate CNN Portugal.

“This time, the searches will not be carried out in the water,” CNN Portugal reported. “Inspectors will look for objects that may be of interest for the investigation or rule out hypothesis.”

Madeleine McCann was three years old when she vanished from her bedroom on May 3, 2007 during a family holiday in the Algarve region, while her parents were dining with friends nearby in the resort of Praia da Luz.

In April 2022, Portuguese and German officials named Christian Brückner – a German national who lived in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007 – as an official suspect.

Brückner has denied being involved in the disappearance of McCann.

The public prosecutor’s spokesperson for the German city of Braunschweig said Portuguese police started searching the reservoir after a tip off from Germany.

The Arade reservoir was previously searched in 2008, when the divers found bones which were later discovered to be animal remains, according to CNN Portugal.

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