Detectives investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are searching an allotment in Germany.
Police are excavating the site in the northern city of Hanover as part of a "large-scale operation" linked to the disappearance of the British girl in Portugal 13 years ago.
Madeleine McCann was three when she disappeared from an apartment in the seaside town of Praia da Luz in the Algarve region.
Last month, German authorities said they had identified a 43-year-old German citizen as a suspect in the case.
Detectives have been searching the allotment, understood to be some 40 miles from the suspect's last registered address, since Monday.
Authorities have not released the suspect's name, but he has been widely identified by German media as Christian B.
The search is understood to be joint operation between the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office and the Federal Criminal Police Office.
Julia Meyer, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, confirmed reports that police had been at the site with an excavator since Monday.
"The procedure is taking place in connection with our investigation regarding Maddie McCann," she said.
Ms Meyer said she could not give any further details on the investigation, adding only that police would "still need some more time to finish".
