German police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann have finished their search of a garden discovered the remains of a cellar at the site, local media reported.

A plot on the outskirts of Hannover was excavated by police as part of their investigation into the British girl’s disappearance in Portugal.

Prosecutors said the two-day search in Hanover was linked to a murder investigation against a 43-year-old man but could not comment further.

Madeleine was three when she went missing while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 2007.

German investigators believe Christian Brueckner killed her soon after abducting her from a holiday apartment in the resort.

READ MORE: Madeleine McCann: Investigators search German garden

The Herald:

Brueckner is appealing against a conviction for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman, also at Praia da Luz.

The suspect, who is currently in prison in Germany, spent many years in Portugal, including in Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance, and has two previous convictions for “sexual contact with girls”, authorities have said.

READ MORE: German garden search continues amid Madeleine McCann probe

Newspaper Bild reported the foundations of a garden house were found on the site and, among the remains, a hidden cellar room was found.

Earlier this year Portuguese authorities searched wells as part of their investigation into the disappearance with reports that that police and divers in the Algarve region examined three disused wells in Vila do Bispo.