This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/04/madeleine-mccann-portugal-praia-da-luz-scrubland-search

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Madeleine McCann: search by police to continue into weekend Madeleine McCann scrubland search expected to stretch into second week
(about 2 hours later)
Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are likely to continue the search operation into the weekend using forensic experts and ground-penetrating radar. Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have formally applied to extend the ground-level searches into next week as forensic experts joined the investigation.
The operation was initially expected to end on Friday but progress has been slow in the meticulous search of dense scrubland a short distance from where the then three-year-old girl was last seen in 2007.The operation was initially expected to end on Friday but progress has been slow in the meticulous search of dense scrubland a short distance from where the then three-year-old girl was last seen in 2007.
In the past 48 hours, officers have focused their searches on two key areas, but the painstaking investigative work is being delayed by a need to clear the sites using petrol strimmers and chainsaws. In the past 48 hours, officers have focused their searches on two key areas, including a hole in the ground concealed by corrugated iron, which on Wednesday was investigated by forensic experts wearing protective clothing.
DCI Andy Redwood, the Scotland Yard officer leading the investigation, and Faro's Polícia Judiciária director, Mota Carmo, inspected one of the key sites, where forensic officers were seen wearing face masks and blue bodysuits. The painstaking investigative work, which began on Monday, is being delayed by a need to clear the sites using petrol strimmers and chainsaws.
The work of the forensic experts was shielded by a white police tent, erected over a void in the ground where officers had focused their digging 24 hours earlier, but they were seen removing soil with wheelbarrows. It is expected that the searches will now stretch into a second week, after Scotland Yard applied to extend the operation as they await formal approval from Portuguese police.
In a separate area of interest about 30 metres away, officers put up two further white police tents over a patch of land where they had earlier used ground-penetrating radar, which allows investigators to detect any disturbance below ground. DCI Andy Redwood, the Scotland Yard officer leading the investigation, and Faro's Polícia Judiciária director, Mota Carmo, on Wednesday inspected both of the key sites, where forensic officers were seen wearing face masks and blue bodysuits. Though their work was shielded by a white police tent – erected over a hole in the ground concealed by a scrap of rusted iron, where officers had been digging 24 hours earlier – forensic experts were seen removing soil with wheelbarrows.
Madeleine's parents, Kate, 46, and Gerry, 45, are being kept abreast of any significant developments in the first ground-level search since those conducted immediately after her disappearance in May 2007. About 30 metres away, officers put up two further white police tents over a patch of land where they had earlier used ground-penetrating radar to detect any disturbance.
Madeleine's parents, Kate, 46, and Gerry, 45, are being kept abreast of developments in the first ground-level search since those conducted immediately after her disappearance in May 2007.
Portuguese media reported that officers had asked to search the sewerage system in Praia da Luz using fibre-optic cables, but the village mayor, Victor Mata, told the Guardian he had not been made aware of such a development, which would take the search outside the current 15-acre site.Portuguese media reported that officers had asked to search the sewerage system in Praia da Luz using fibre-optic cables, but the village mayor, Victor Mata, told the Guardian he had not been made aware of such a development, which would take the search outside the current 15-acre site.