The search site – an area of scrubland – was located 400 metres west of the Ocean Club resort from which Madeleine went missing in May 2007. British and Portuguese police cordoned off the area last Monday.
The week-long investigation of the area saw specialist teams using ground-penetrating radars and sniffer dogs while digging up the area in search of clues. Forensic teams will be moving the search to two other sites near the resort.
Portuguese police told Sky News that the new searches are scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
Paul Luckman, editor of Portugal News, spoke to Sky News about discontent with the ongoing search among locals: “Nothing has been found that the Portuguese police missed at the time. People really feel that enough is enough.
“(It’s) not that they don’t have sympathy for the parents or that they don’t want the child found but (we have to) be realistic – we’re seven years down the road.”
Praia da Luz mayor Victor Mata had something slightly different to say to The Guardian: “People can move freely, nobody’s lives have been turned upside down because of this. The disruption is much less than we had foreseen.”
According to BBC, Portuguese officials have announced that more than three suspects are will be interviewed over the next few weeks. Portuguese officers will be conducting the interviews, while British officers may observe but cannot intervene.
Last week Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann wrote on their official Facebook page: “We are kept updated on the ongoing work in Portugal and are encouraged by the progress.
“Thank you for continuing to stand by us and supporting our efforts to get Madeleine home.”
Image credit: Getty
