5 months ago
22
Michael Mosley, a British TV doctor went missing on the Greek island of Symi on Wednesday while on vacation. Mosley is known for his appearances on U.K. programs such as This Morning and The One Show. The 67-year-old is a regular columnist in the Daily Mail and has presented several shows on diet and exercise, including the Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat? documentary. He was also part of the BBC series Trust Me, I'm A Doctor.
Mosley was last seen on Wednesday at around 1:30 p.m. local time, when he went to take a walk on Saint Nikolas beach on the island. At 3 p.m., his wife, Clare Bailey Mosley, noticed he had still not returned to the place they were staying, per Sky News. By 7:30 p.m., she raised the issue with the police, and Greek authorities began to search for him. Mosley does not have his cell phone with him, since it was found in his hotel, a police spokesperson is quoted as telling the BBC.
Weather conditions were very hot when Mosley had left. The National Observatory of Athens reported temperatures of over 100°F on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign Office confirmed that the U.K. government is in contact with Greek authorities. “We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities,” the Foreign Office said in a statement emailed to TIME.
The Greek Police told TIME in an emailed statement—that was provided in Greek and translated to English using Google Translate—that the investigation is in full swing. “The investigations are carried out by the Fire Brigade with the assistance of the Greek Police, the Civil Protection, volunteers, and a police dog, while technical means such as drones are also used to locate the missing person,” they said.
The search efforts have grown in size over the past two days. As of Friday morning, a mix of 25 volunteers, police officers, and firefighters were working to find Mosley. Divers, drones, and sniffer dogs have also been recruited to help with the search on and above the island, and its surrounding waters.
Eleftherios Papakalodoukas, the Mayor of Symi, said he believed the most likely explanation was that Mosley had walked off the path or gotten lost in the sea. "It is a very small, controlled area, full of people so if something happened to him there, we would have found him by now," he is quoted as telling the BBC.
On Thursday evening, presenter Alex Jones who hosts The One Show on the BBC opened the program by voicing concern for Mosley. “Our thoughts are very much with his wife Clare and the rest of his family at this worrying time. We hope for more positive news," she said.
