18 years after she disappeared from the apartment building of Praia da Luz in Algarve, the search for Madeleine McCann will resume in Portugal.

Portuguese and German authorities are expected to continue to focus their searches on abandoned buildings and in the in.

Madeleine disappeared three years old while on vacation with her parents on May 3, 2007, triggering a European-wide police investigation that has become one of the most highly-reviewed cases of missing persons.

This search - covering the city of Lagos near Praia da Luz - will last until Friday until the 21km square foot location between where Madeleine disappeared and the main suspect of German investigators was at the place where they were staying at the time.

Madeline's case was initially handled by Portuguese authorities with the help of Metropolitan Police, but German investigators considered the German country Christian Brückner as his main suspect in 2020.

The 48-year-old is currently serving a sentence in Germany for the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005. He is scheduled to be released in September, but if he doesn't owe him a fine, he can postpone it until early 2026.

The search site is about 3.5 miles from Ocean Club Resort, where Madeleine and her family have been living.

The roads to the area, mostly bushes, have been closed since Monday, since the team has been clearing grass and vegetation.

A Portuguese fire truck and four vehicles carrying German police arrived Tuesday morning. Firefighters also drained part of the search.

The last search was conducted two years ago and focused around the Northeast reservoir of the UK's children's residence. Brückner spent some time in the area between 2000 and 2017, with photos and videos near the reservoir.

German authorities suspect Bruckner's murder and fear that if he is not accused of anything new, he will disappear after his release. British police continue to investigate the case as missing persons.

Bruckner repeatedly denied any involvement.

German police have European arrest warrants, which have been approved by Portuguese prosecutors, will enable them to conduct searches on private land. Searches are expected to span 21 different lands this week.

Officials did not conduct this latest search in Portugal based on any new information, making it appear as if it was the last browsing in a place where evidence or body could be hidden

Portuguese authorities also appointed Brückner as the official suspect or “arguido”. They said they would hand over any evidence seized from the latest search to German authorities.

Metropolitan Police said this week it was aware that German police searches in Portugal continued to investigate Madeleine's disappearance.

The case, known as Operation Grange, has been ongoing since 2011 and has cost around £13.3 million so far.

Madeleine is missing, her parents have dinner with friends in the restaurant, and she and her young twin siblings fall asleep not far from the ground apartment.

Her mother, Kate, found out she was missing around 22:00.

The 2022 German documentary found evidence of Brookner's occasional work at the Ocean Club, and German prosecutors also linked his cell phone data and car sales to the case against him.

Madeleine's parents commemorated the 18th anniversary of her disappearance last month, saying they were "the stone that was determined not to work hard is unwavering."