As the search continues for missing TV doctor Michael Mosley, concerns are growing for his welfare as temperatures hit the mid-thirties on the Greek island of Symi.
The 67-year-old was last seen embarking on a walk to the centre of the island at around 1.30pm on Wednesday, with his wife raising the alarm after he failed to return to their accommodation by 7.30pm.
By Friday morning, the mayor’s office confirmed that local people, a helicopter from Rhodes and Greek officers, as well as police drafted from outside of the island had joined the search and rescue operation.
Follow latest updates on Dr Michael Mosley’s disappearance.
The rescue operation is said to be focusing on the Pedi area of the island after a woman reported seeing Mosley, known for popularising the 5:2 diet and for his appearances on The One Show and This Morning, there on Wednesday.
However, locals have described his disappearance as “strange”, while the mayor has said firefighters believe it to be “impossible” Mosley was still there.
Where did Dr Mosley go missing?
After arriving on the small island, which is located 25 miles from the popular tourist destination of Rhodes in the Dodecanese island chain, Mosley and his wife went to the quieter Saint Nikolas Beach.
He embarked on a coastal walk in the early afternoon without his mobile phone, and has not been seen since. The coastal hike goes from the popular beach to Saint Thomas church in Pedi and is understood to take around 20 minutes, with locals describing it as an “easy trial” with clear markings.
A friend of the person Mosley was staying with said she was struggling to understand how anyone could get lost on the part of the island he was believed to be on.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Drive programme, the woman said: “It’s a road that sort of heads over the mountain-side but it’s been recently widened and there is only one route, so it’s not possible to lose your way.
“So, it is probably a 20-minute walk down the side of the mountain, but it’s not overly rugged or something that would be seen to be too dangerous, it’s something that tourists do every day in the summer.
“I’m having trouble understanding how you could get lost.”
What are the conditions like?
Emergency services working on the search efforts have voiced their concerns over the heat, with the area experiencing hot temperatures.
The Hellenic National Meteorological Service has predicted highs of 36C on Friday, while a yellow weather warning is in place in Rhodes and Symi for high temperatures.
The island is known for its quaint villages with rocky cliffs, isolated coves and beaches, with the majority of people advised to take boats to visit beaches. Symi mayor Lefteris Papakalodoukas stated that the route taken by Mosley could be considered “difficult” due to the hilly terrain.
He added that the high temperatures on the island on Wednesday were “unbearable” and that “one could easily faint in such conditions”.
Greek police spokesman Constantina Dimoglidou told the Daily Mail on Thursday: “Any and every attempt to track him down has not produced any result.
“He may have slipped, tripped, fallen, even been bitten by a snake, remaining injured somewhere.
“There is just no trace of him. None whatsoever. And that means that for us at least, every potential scenario is open and being investigated.”
