Everything we know about new Madeleine McCann searches in Portugal

It’s been almost two decades since three-year-old Madeleine McCann vanished from a holiday apartment in the Algarve.

And now, after years of no answers, the German police who have been investigating the case have kicked off new searches in Portugal.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about Maddie’s disappearance and the new searches that kicked off on Tuesday (3 June).

Madeleine McCann’s disappearance

For those that aren’t up to speed, Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007 after her parents Kate and Gerry McCann left her sleeping alongside her younger twin siblings Sean and Amelie in their accommodation in Praia da Luz.

Kate and Gerry had been having dinner at the Ocean Club restaurant - which was around 100 yards from the room - in the evening.

Following the meal out with friends, at around 10pm, Kate returned to the property to check in on her three children, only to find that Madeleine was missing.

Madeleine McCann went missing almost two decades ago (PA)

The disappearance has since become one of the most prolific unsolved missing persons cases in the world and is still going on today.

The McCanns have been relentlessly searching for their daughter, who would now be 22, since the day she went missing.

Who is the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann?

The prime suspect in Maddie’s disappearance is Christian Brueckner, who is in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.

He is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought.

The land being searched is between the Ocean Club holiday resort and the cottage where prime suspect Bruckner lived (PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)

However, the new search is being carried out at the request of the German federal police as they are looking for evidence that could implicate Brueckner.

According to the BBC, the areas that police are searching are close to a ramshackle dwelling where Brueckner lived at the time of Madeleine's disappearance.

Brueckner refused to answer any questions relating to Maddie following discussions with his lawyers and told a journalist from German broadcaster RTL that if he does get out of jail he will have to ‘lie low’ due to how well-known he has become.

The prime suspect is Christian Brueckner (Handout / Handout / Getty Images)

Police have issued a major update in the case

German police issued the major update in the case in the early hours of Tuesday by releasing a statement.

The Braunschweig Public Prosecutor's Office in Germany said: “Criminal proceedings are currently under way in Portugal as part of the investigation into the Madeleine McCann case.

"These measures are being implemented through mutual legal assistance by the Portuguese law enforcement authorities with the support of officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office."

Pictures that are circulating of the scene show a heavy police presence as they use equipment including strimmers, pick-axes, shovels and chainsaws to clear the undergrowth and debris surrounding an abandoned building.

Why now and what we know

While it’s unclear why the search has picked up again now, there are reports that it could be due to the deadline of prime suspect Brueckner being released from prison in September.

With only a few months left, police don’t have a long time to collect evidence, if there is any.

What we know is that German and Portuguese police are scouring through over 20 plots of land that are situated east of Praia da Luz - between the Ocean Club holiday resort and the cottage where Bruckner lived.

The new search kicked off on Tuesday June 3 (PA)

Sky News reports that police are aiming to search ‘multiple areas a day’ and have plans to continue until at least Friday (6 June).

The publication’s correspondent, Dan Whitehead, who is at the scene, described the area as ‘rough, wild scrubland,’ making it tough to search.

Equipment that’s being used to clear debris and undergrowth includes strimmers, pick-axes, shovels and chainsaws.

Firefighters and police were seen using a yellow hose to drain a well, with others cleared away large rocks.

An abandoned farmhouse and other derelict farm buildings in the same remote area are also being searched.

On top of this, innovative new ground-penetrating radar technology will be used to get a picture of anything that could be going on beneath the ground.