Police investigating the disappearance of British four-year-old Madeleine McCann have searched an area of scrubland following an anonymous tip that the child's body was buried there.
Sniffer dogs were brought to the area 14km from where she disappeared in Praia de Luz.
The area of roughly 20sq.km was pinpointed in a letter accompanied by a map sent to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf and passed on to Portuguese police.
Police said they had already searched that area when Madeleine disappeared early last month.
The officer leading the case said that 'the clue has been ruled out due to a lack of evidence,' but that the investigation will continue.
Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, expressed their relief today at the news.
'We believe Madeleine is alive and I am glad to say that following yesterday's letter in the Telegraaf there has been no evidence that Madeleine is in the area indicated,' Mr McCann said in a statement on a website devoted to the search for his daughter.
It comes after criticism from the family of the paper's decision to publish the letter before police could investigate it.
'We feel strongly that this was an irresponsible piece of journalism and even if it were true is insensitive and cruel,' the McCanns said.
