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Ben Needham: Police begin excavation of new search area in Kos

Police have begun detailed excavation work in the hope of finally solving the 25-year-old mystery surrounding the disappearance of Ben Needham.

A team from South Yorkshire Police, supported by colleagues from Greece, are digging on farmland on the Greek island of Kos near where Ben was last seen on 24 July, 1991.

Detective Inspector Jon Cousins said his officers would work with an archaeological team from the island to focus efforts on a particular patch of land.

"This has been my life for the past 18 months, I can hardly begin to imagine what it's been like for the Needham family," he said.

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Ben's mother, Kerry Needham, has been told to "prepare for the worst" by investigators, who now suspect her son may have died in an accident on the day he vanished.

Kos resident Konstantinos 'Dino' Barkas was clearing land with an excavator close to where Ben was playing on the day he went missing and may be responsible for his death, a friend of the builder reportedly told police.

Mr Barkas died of cancer last year, months before police arrived on the island for a renewed investigation.

Ben, who was 21-months-old at the time he disappeared, was on holiday with his mother and grandparents, who were renovating an old farmhouse in the village of Iraklise.

DI Cousins warned progress could be slow, with the first dig expected to last up to 12 days.

"There has been a lot of myth and legend gathered over 25 years as to what has happened to Ben," he said.

"This site is of great archaeological interest and we have with us an archaeological team with us from the island of Kos. As a result of which there may be some delay during the period we are here."

Ms Needham, from Sheffield, told the Daily Mirror: "Not even in my worst nightmares has Ben ever been dead ... until now. I've been waking up and finding my pillow wet with tears."

Mr Barkas' widow has strongly dismissed the claims her late husband accidentally killed the toddler.