Foreign resident found first body last night
The bodies of the French couple, Laurent and Véronique Blond, who went missing while they were holidaying in Madeira last month, have been discovered.
According to reports, a foreign resident walking the Fajã da Areia footpath last night, “noticed” a smell, which led him to a spot near the Abelheira path, “already more than 100 metres off the trail”.
It was not possible to make a visual identification, but everything suggested the body was that of Verónique Blond.
Authorities called to the scene, then set about trying to recover it, and discover if they could find a second body nearby.
Searches were suspended overnight. This morning the second body, almost certainly of husband Laurent, was found.
SIC Notícias reports that DNA tests will need to be done to confirm identities, but everything (particularly clothes) points to the bodies being those of the missing couple.
The Blond’s grown-up children are already aware of the situation.
It will now be up to autopsies to try and determine exactly what happened to lead to this tragic outcome.
Comments on Madeira Life Facebook page, which has been following this mystery, attest to the fact that “holidays in Madeira can be dangerous.
“Madeira is a paradise, but it also can be hell for those that understimate it”, says one commentator.
The Blonds were the 5th and 6th foreign tourists to have gone missing on the island in recent years. They appear to be the first whose remains have been recovered.
