A Spanish tourist made a grim discovery at Rocha Negra near Praia da Luz on Monday as he came across a body.
The remains are almost certainly those of fisherman Ricardo de Jesus Fernandes, 37, who disappeared on April 11. More than four months later he has been found, wedged into a crevasse at the base of the cliff.
The captain of the port of Lagos, commander Carvalho Pinto said that the tourist saw what he thought was old clothing but soon realised that he had in fact discovered a body.
The Lagos prosecutor already has authorised an autopsy at the Forensic Department of the Barlavento hospital in Portimão where the body, now little more than a skeleton, will be examined.
The Marine Police and the Lagos Bombeiros were soon joined by the Judicial Police who made an initial examination and applied for an autopsy to be carried out.
"I was climbing the rock when I saw the corpse wedged into a space," said the un-named climber.
When Ricardo Fernandes disappeared, family and friends involved in the search voiced suspicions that he may have committed suicide. At the time, his glasses and wallet were found in addition to tobacco belonging to the fisherman whose brother is in the GNR in Lagos.
Tragedy nearly struck on Sunday as a group of paddle boarders got into trouble off the Ponte da Piedade to the west of Lagos.
The nine British sportsmen were surprised by a change in weather conditions and could not get back to shore. A sudden increase in adverse ind conditions swept them out to sea but one of them managed to call 112 which triggered a search and rescue operation at around 20.30.
Four of the Britons were taken to hospital for hypothermia.
