Madeleine McCann search latest: Abandoned farmhouse near suspect’s home searched

Searches for Madeleine McCann are to resume in Portugal on Wednesday, near where she was last seen in 2007.

On Tuesday, fresh searches for Madeleine began, as teams drained a well and cleared areas of dense vegetation near abandoned buildings in countryside a few miles from Praia da Luz.

German investigators and Portuguese police officers and firefighters took part in the searches on Tuesday, as teams used strimmers, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris around an abandoned building, and drained a well using a yellow hose.

About 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 that investigators are also planning to use radar equipment that can scan beneath the ground.

Journalists were kept at a distance from the search activity taking place in Portugal as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann on Tuesday.

But some activity could be seen as German and Portuguese search teams examined an area a few miles from Praia da Luz that is largely fields and scrubland, with a few buildings.

Search teams used strimmers, pick-axes, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris surrounding an abandoned structure.

Personnel were wearing safety gear such as gloves and hard hats as they worked in the dense vegetation.

Firefighters and police also used a yellow hose to drain a well next to one abandoned building.

Ministers in the UK approved more than £100,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine’s disappearance in April.

The Metropolitan Police said it is aware of the current searsch operation but that British officers will not be present.