Belgium has sent three investigators to Peru to help in the search for Belgian tourist Natacha de Crombrugghe, who has been missing for almost one month.
The three investigators – two from the Brussels federal judicial police and one from the Missing Persons Unit – will take part in the ongoing search. They will assess the information that has already been gathered, An Berger, the federal judicial police spokesperson, confirmed.
"We hope that our people can contribute something to the investigation. The team in Peru is already doing everything they should be doing," she told The Brussels Times.
The three investigators are expected to remain on the scene for about a week and will work closely with the team already present on the ground, consisting of more than 80 Peruvian rescuers and police officers who have been combing the area since the Belgian tourist went missing.
Parallel investigation started in Belgium
The investigation remains in the hands of the Peruvian police, Berger explained, however, a parallel investigation has been started in Belgium as de Crombrugghe was also reported missing here.
According to reports from De Standaard, her disappearance could be linked to Peruvian crime, as it is believed she had not yet left the village to get to the gorge she was thought to be planning to visit. Berger stressed that all avenues remain open at the moment and that no such conclusions have been made yet.
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De Crombrugghe has been missing since 24 January, when she left the hostel where she was staying in Cabanaconde for a challenging trek through the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest gorges in the world, located in the south of Peru.
She left behind some of her luggage in the hostel before departing alone, and never returned from the trek.
