Officials searching for missing TV doctor Michael Mosley have shifted their focus to a "very dangerous" area, it's been confirmed.
Manolis Tsimpoukas, who organises searches for missing people on the Dodecanese Islands, announced that the operation had moved to an area known locally as 'The Abyss'. So far, there has been no signs of the missing doctor, the search co-ordinator said. It comes after the 67-year-old British national vanished whilst he was out on a walk on Wednesday in Symi, Greece.
His wife Dr Clare Bailey reported him missing to police after he failed to return home after six hours. She described the ordeal as the “longest and most unbearable days” for her and their four children. The rescue operation, which initially began by Pedi Bay, is now focusing its search close to the "bottomless" network of tunnels near Agia Marina.
Authorities fear that the father of four could have made a "wrong turn". This morning, emergency teams began looking over a 6.5km radius, over a mountainous area that is surrounded by sea. Locals warned that the area, known as 'The Abyss', is not safe and stressed anyone can drown in the tunnels.
A waiter who works nearby said the "deep system of tunnels" is full of water. "If there is a hole and you fall, you lose your sense of balance and drown there," They told The Telegraph. "There is a reason they call it 'The ‘Abyss. There is something very strange going on.”
According to reports, Dr Mosley was said to have been feeling unwell before he went for a stroll on the island. The latest available CCTV appears to show the doctor walking with an umbrella near to the marina in the village of Pedi in Symi. Earlier footage from a property at the edge of Pedi’s small marina showed the health guru strolling towards a mountainous path at about 2pm local time on Wednesday.
'We will not lose hope'
Meanwhile, Missing Michael Mosley’s wife said she vowed to carry on searching for the 67-year-old, declaring: “We will not lose hope.” Dr Clare Bailey, 62, spoke for the first time about her TV doctor husband’s disappearance on the Greek island Symi.
She said: “It has been three days since Michael left the beach to go for a walk. The longest and most unbearable days for myself and my children. The search is ongoing and our family are so incredibly grateful to the people of Symi, the Greek authorities and the British Consulate who are working tirelessly to help find Michael.”
The couple’s four adult children – Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine – retraced their father’s last-known steps. They were thought to be among a small group, including some of their friends, searching a two-mile trail between Pedi and Agia Marina.
Manolis Tsiboukas, coordinator of civil alert in Greece, said: “They are stressing so much for their father. They want to find him as soon as possible.”
The island’s mayor, Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas, said: “We know he came through Pedi and then walked towards Agia Marina. It is about two miles and a harder walk than from St Nikolas. If he did try and walk that way to Symi, then that is a big mistake. There are also many troubling questions here. Why did he leave the beach and his wife and friends? Why did he not take his telephone? From the CCTV footage, it’s also clear he didn’t stop for a drink in Pedi or take a rest. He seemed to be walking very determinedly. Surely it would have been better to stop and have a coffee or some water but, no, he decided to carry on.”
A helicopter, police officers and other rescuers, including Red Cross volunteers who had travelled from the neighbouring island of Kos, yesterday joined in the hunt. One group just finishing a three-hour shift described the heat as almost unbearable. The mayor said sniffer dogs brought in from Athens were also struggling in the extreme temperatures – with one exhausted after just an hour. But he vowed the search would go on and said a thermal-imaging helicopter would arrive soon.
He added: “We are searching an area of around 6.5km in the mountains. There are only rocks, no shade, no trees. With 47C heat, you can’t survive.” British tourists have also joined the operation. Two of them, Jan Brownsort, 68, and friend pal Sue, 70, said: “We did the walk from Symi town. We knew the area because we had just walked it so when we heard, we thought, ‘Let’s go and do the walk again and look’. We could see the area they were searching from where we’re staying.”
CCTV clues
Officials have considered a number of theories, including that Dr Mosley may have fallen off a cliff or been bitten by a snake. CCTV footage shows a man said to be him walking with a purple umbrella, just over a mile from the beach he set off from. He and his wife were staying at a holiday home near Symi, the main port on the island, which is just 25 miles square and has a population of just 2,500.
She raised the alarm after he failed to return at 7.30pm on Wednesday. In the wake of his disappearance, the son of a Welshman who vanished without a trace while walking on a Greek island five years ago urged the Mosleys to keep searching. John Tossell, 78, from Bridgend, went missing after going to visit a monastery on Mount Skopos, Zakynthos.
Son Gary told Sky News: “When I read the story it’s like a cut and paste of my father. I wish nothing but love to the Mosley family as I know exactly what they’re going through. I want to tell them not to give up.” Dr Mosley, who was born in Kolkata, India, used to be an investment banker before studying medicine.
He then joined the BBC as a trainee assistant producer and appeared on The One Show as well as ITV’s This Morning and had just completed a nationwide tour called Eat Well, Sleep Better, Live Longer with his wife. Dr Mosley, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes before managing to reverse it, has been an advocate for intermittent fasting diets, including the 5:2 diet and The Fast 800 diet. He has sold more than two million books and was also given an Emmy nod for BBC science documentary The Human Face.
He also presented Channel 4 show, Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat?
Michael Mosley disappearance timeline
Wednesday, June 4: Police alerted to missing doc six hours after he left
Dr Mosley left his wife, Dr Clare Bailey, on St Nikolas beach at around 1.30pm on Wednesday. He is believed to have set off on a popular coasting walking route towards the small village of Pedi. The stroll is estimated to take around 15 minutes, with the route previously being described as a "clear path".
The TV doctor had not returned to the accommodation where he was staying with his wife by 3pm. When she arrived back to the property, she found his phone in the same position he had left it in before he headed out. Dr Bailey alerted the police that he was missing at around 7.30pm and the rescue operation was subsequently launched.
During that day, Dr Mosley was captured on CCTV at the St Nikolas beach restaurant. Grini Kaurmadia, whose family own the establishment, said Dr Mosley used the bathroom at around 1pm on Wednesday. She said: "We can see him go into the bathroom and then leave, we don’t know where he went next. We don’t know how he got here, some people catch the water taxi from Symi. They didn’t eat here so we don’t know how long they were at the beach. We did not speak with him."
Thursday, June 6: Locals spread the word over missing doc as mayor shares doubts that Michael is still in the area
Symi Facebook groups began receiving posts asking for local members to keep an eye out for Dr Mosley. The group "Friends of Symi" appealed for witnesses and described the health expert as a "familiar face for many British people".
By the afternoon, firefighters and the coastguard joined forces with the police leading the search operation. The task force also employed a team of dogs, helicopters, and a thermal imaging drone to scour the area around Pedi. In the evening, the Mayor of Symi said it was "impossible" that Dr Mosley is still in the area. He said: "It is a very small, controlled area, full of people. So, if something happened to him there, we would have found him by now."
Friday, June 7: Extreme weather warnings as divers and patrol boats join in search
On Friday, more weather warning were issued as forecasters stressed that temperatures could reach up to 48C. The search on Friday commenced at 9am, with divers later searching the waters from the afternoon.
Symi’s coast guard said: “All our patrol boats are searching … about five and also all the private boats, commercial boats know about the incident and they look for (him) also, in this area, (so this is) the private, the commercial and the patrol (boats looking).”
A spokesperson for the Greek fire service confirmed that Greek police are using sniffer dogs in the search. Later that day, the first set of CCTV images were released of the doctor walking in Pedi under an umbrella near Blue Corner cafe.
Saturday, June 8: Search resumes with firefighters forced to split up and snake warning issued
6am: This morning, a search co-ordinator confirmed that the search had resumed at around 6am. Firefighters began to examine a 6.5k radius over a mountainous area that is surrounded by sea.
Manolis Tsimpoukas, who arranges searches for missing people on the Dodecanese Islands, said there had been no sign of Dr Mosley. He described the area as "very dangerous" and said if anything was discovered then they would locate the doctor within an hour.
Shortly before 8am: Symi’s mayor Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas said there is "no chance" the search will be called off until he is found. The long-standing mayor described the area where Dr Mosley is believed to have travelled through is “difficult to pass” and is “only rocks”. He sparked further concerns when he said the area is populated by "loads" of snakes.
10.34am: Firefighters released a drone as they hiked up a mountainous area. There is no path or shade near the top of the hill that sits between Pedi bay and Agia Marina, where they suspect he may have walked. It comes after an extreme heat warning was launched in the area.
Shortly before 11am: Individual firefighters were forced to split up as they covered vast expanses of steep rocky terrain on their own. One uniformed worker said there were 10 of them searching multiple summits because it was too dangerous for large crews to work during the summer months. Firefighter Stergos Giakoumakis said: “Because it’s not so easy to bring here 100 people, especially this period, because it’s the most dangerous period. Everything is dry and it is too dangerous for firemen to search.”
