Bag of small bones found in reservoir where lawyer claims Madeleine McCann's body was dumped
Divers searching an Algarve reservoir for Madeleine McCann have found a plastic bag containing small bones.
Police experts were last night examining the gruesome find made by a frogman working for a Portuguese lawyer.
Gerry and Kate McCann were informed immediately by a private detective who was observing the search.
Marcos Aragao Correia says he was tipped off by underworld contacts that Madeleine was murdered and her body thrown into the reservoir last May.
The search turned up the bones in the murky waters of the Barragem do Arabe reservoir at 3.30pm.
Mr Correia said last night: "We found two bags one of which contains some small bones.
"We don't know if they are human bones or not at this stage.
"If they are human bones, they look like they come from a child's fingers.
"They are too small for an adult.
"I can't tell you how many we found because we didn't count them.
"As soon as we made the find we handed them over to the Portuguese authorities and the private detectives working for the McCanns."
McCann spokesman Clarence Mitchell played down the discovery but said investigators from their Metodo 3 agency were at the scene along with police.
"We know nothing about the bones at this stage but there is nothing to indicate that they are human at the moment, they could easily be from an animal.
"We have not been informed of anything by the police to indicate that this find is significant.
"Our investigators and the police will establish the truth.
"If something has been found it needs to be examined. But there is nothing at the moment to indicate that this find has anything to do with Madeleine.
"We continue to believe she is alive.
"A detective from the Metodo 3 agency is at the scene and will keep us informed."
Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, have previously dismissed Mr Correia as a self-publicist and said there is no evidence to suggest there is any link between their daughter and the reservoir.
Last night a police expert wearing white protective gloves was at the scene of the find examining the bones.
Madeleine disappeared last May 3 last year while on holiday with her family in the resort of Praia da Luz, a 20-minute drive from the reservoir.
It is the second time divers working for Mr Correia have searched the waters. The criminal lawyer has spent thousands of pounds on the search.
John Fellows, a frogman with the Lagos-based dive school Dive Time made the discovery.
The remote reservoir is near the town of Silves where a lorry driver saw a woman handing a child like Madeleine McCann over to a man two days after she went missing.
Divers had previously recovered several lengths of cord, some plastic tape and a single white, cotton sock.
Mr Correia, from Madeira, says he decided to search the reservoir after being told by underworld criminals that Madeleine, who was three when she disappeared, had been raped, murdered and dumped in a lake in the area within 48 hours of being snatched.
Madeleine's parents, Gerry and Kate McCann, have previously dismissed Mr Correia as a self-publicist and said there is no evidence to suggest there is any link between their daughter and the reservoir.
The search was due to end today. It has involved seven divers.
Francisco Mendes, a 59-year-old from Portimao who was in the area when the bones were found, said: "I was here on a day out as it is a very peaceful, remote area.
"I was having a coffee but saw the police turned up and walked down to find out what was going on.
"They have found two small black plastic bags. The police are examining them now. We are being kept 15 meters back so can't really see what's inside.
"We're told one of the bags is empty but the other one contains small bones. We don't know if they are the bones of a child or not."
The divers first searched the reservoir five weeks ago and resumed again on Monday morning.
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