Vehicles and inspectors from the German and Portuguese authorities had already begun to leave the site on Tuesday, following searches to try to find evidence that could unravel the mystery surrounding the British child who disappeared 18 years ago.

Three days ago, 30 inspectors from the Judicial Police and the same number of German police officers searched ruined buildings, abandoned cisterns and wells on dozens of properties in the Atalaia area between Praia do Porto de Mós and the town of Luz, in places where Christian Brüeckner, the suspect identified by the German authorities in the kidnapping and murder of Madeleine, is believed to have passed.

The work used ground-breaking radar, equipment that allows identifying changes in the soil, brush cutters to clear parts of the land, and several objects were collected for analysis by the German police.

The searches requested by the German authorities aim to find any trace that could link Brüeckner to the disappearance of the British girl.

Brüeckner is imprisoned in Germany for raping an American citizen in the Algarve, but may be released in the coming months.

The police investigations were carried out following a European Investigation Order issued by the German authorities and authorised by the coordinator of the Public Prosecutor's Office for the Faro District.

The Public Prosecutor's Office in Braunschweig, Germany, is leading the ongoing proceedings and has requested the execution of search warrants in the municipality of Lagos.

A source from the Portuguese police said that all evidence seized during the searches will be handed over to the German authorities with the authorisation of the Portuguese Public Prosecutor's Office.