Dr Michael Mosley, TV doctor and star of This Morning, was last seen on the island of Symi in Greece on Wednesday, sparking a huge search and rescue operation that has continued into Sunday
Search parties for Michael Mosley have reportedly left the scene with the help of a sniffer dog and returned to Athens – possibly out of concern for the dog’s health.
The TV doctor was seen walking through the town of Pedi on the Aegean island of Symi at 1.52pm on Wednesday, about 20 minutes after setting off on the hiking trail from St Nicholas Beach. Many believed he may have gotten into trouble on that walk but by Saturday evening searchers were focusing on a cave system called the ‘Abyss’ which he may have entered.
BBC correspondent Joe Inwood, speaking live from Symi on BBC Breakfast on Sunday morning: ‘The authorities have said they will keep searching, they will keep looking for Michael Mosley until he is found but the longer it takes the more that hope will unfortunately diminish.
“Another thing we learned this morning is that the search and rescue dog that was on the slope is being sent back to Athens. This could be a sign that they are calming down, but it has also been reported that it is so hot that the dog has burned its paws on the slope and is unable to work due to the heat. We don’t know which at the moment, but this is the development we have seen in the last hour or so.”
Helicopters, drones, dogs and numerous rescuers continue to comb the Dodecanese island. Local police were informed that a 67-year-old British man went missing on the island on Wednesday.
The search is being carried out by the fire service with the assistance of Greek police forces, Civil Protection (Local and Regional Coordination Body), volunteers and a police dog, as well as drones. was also used to find Dr. Mosley.
Mosley was last seen on CCTV in the grey stone house near the island’s harbour. Perhaps he was walking along a steep, elevated concrete road. At the end of the road, a small path leads to a rocky landscape with little vegetation except thistles and dry grass.
Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas, the mayor of Symi, said he would continue an extensive search operation involving police, firefighters with drones and divers. We are speaking through an interpreter, the mayor is 22 years old.