BEACH TOWN SEEKS CLOSURE IN CASE OF MISSING GIRL

The disappearance of the little British girl Madeleine Mccann has hung over the quiet beach town of Praia da Luz in Portugal’s southern Algarve like a dark cloud for 13 years. Now some closure might finally be near, not only for her family but also for the town itself. Madeleine, then aged three, disappeared from her hotel room during a family holiday in Praia da Luz in 2007. On Thursday, German authorities said she was assumed to be dead and that an imprisoned German child abuser was the murder suspect. A long international investigation has grabbed attention worldwide but left many in Praia da Luz feeling like they had become pariahs. “Everyone spoke badly about Praia da Luz, especially among parents with children,” said Irina Itrabar, who owns a beach store in the town of 3,500 inhabitants.