Portuguese criminal police (PJ) say there are no signs of foul play in the death of Mark Kiely, an Irishman found at the bottom of a cliff in Albufeira on Monday.
“We don’t have any suspicions of foul play at the moment. It may have been an unfortunate accident, but we have to wait for the results of the autopsy,” a PJ source told Lusa.
The man was on holiday in Albufeira and disappeared in the early hours of Saturday morning, prompting family and friends to launch an appeal on social media to help locate him.
Mark Kiely, from County Donegal, had last been seen in the early hours of Saturday, August 16, in Albufeira’s oldtown area, close to the beach tunnel. He was wearing cream shorts and a light green polo shirt at the time.
Family and friends had launched an appeal for information on his whereabouts, asking members of the public in the Algarve to assist with the search.
However, his body was found by locals on Monday, August 18 near the Albufeira fishing port.
Maritime Police were called to the scene, after which PJ were called in to investigate the cause of death.
There have been several cases in recent months of tourists losing their lives while on holiday in Albufeira. In June, Greg Monks, a 38-year-old Scotsman, was found dead after a week-long search at the bottom of a ravine in the Cerro da Águia area of Albufeira, while another British tourist was found at the bottom of steps at Avenida da Liberdade, in the ‘Old Town’ – both on the same day, June 4.
A month later, two other British tourists were found dead at the bottom of a swimming pool at the Duas Palmeiras aparthotel.
