Two bodies have been discovered 100 meters from Vereda da Abelheira, in Fajã da Areia, in São Vicente. It is believed that they are the missing French couple.
João Góis, Commissioner of the Public Security Police – Madeira, explained that at the end of yesterday, the PSP received a call from a foreign citizen living in Madeira who had started investigating the area due to a pervading obnoxious smell.
“The PSP alongside the citizen accessed the site and verified that it was the body of a woman, who, by her clothing, indicated that she was the missing Frenchwoman. As the night progressed, and since the terrain was still unstable, the body could not be removed until this morning. Today’s mission included members of the Madeiran Volunteer Firefighters, the National Republican Guard, PSP, and the Regional Civil Protection Service.”
After the rescue of the first body, the authorities continued to search the area and found a second body lying 20 metres away, who, from the clothing appeared to be the missing French man.
For now, the PSP suspects that the couple slipped and fell. The trail has an exposed elevation of around 300-320m and it is believed that they fell approximately 130m.
Although everything indicates that the bodies found belong to the French couple who have been missing since the 16th of March, João Góis says that it is not yet possible to officially confirm this information as a formal forensic identification will have to be made.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
