As temperatures in Greece continued to climb on Thursday, authorities are searching for two tourists who disappeared separately while hiking in the Mediterranean islands.
The tourists, one American and one Dutch, were reported missing after the body of British TV presenter Michael Mosley was discovered on the island of Symi on Sunday. According to his wife, on June 5, Mosley, 67, took a wrong turn toward a marina during his solo hike and eventually collapsed.
Officials said Mosley died of natural causes. No foul play is suspected.
Authorities are working to quickly locate the latest two missing hikers, who vanished amid a heatwave that was forecast to reach up to 43 degrees Celsius in parts of the country on Thursday.
U.S. tourist Eric Albert Calibet, 59, was hiking alone on the island of Amorgos when he disappeared on Tuesday afternoon. Local authorities said Calibet had been hiking toward the village of Katapola.
Calibet’s friends reported him missing when he did not return.
Eric Albert Calibet, 59, was reported missing on the island of Amorgos on June 11, 2024.
Facebook via Δήμος Αμοργού
Officials and volunteers from the coast guard are searching both land and water for the missing tourist. Drones have also been used in the search.
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Officials could not reach Calibet’s cellphone.
Popi Despotidi, Amorgos’ deputy mayor of tourism, told CNN that Calibet was familiar with the island and had been visiting yearly for nearly a decade.
Earlier this week, an unnamed 74-year-old Dutch tourist disappeared while hiking on the island of Samos.
The Hellenic Rescue Team of Samos, which has been leading the days-long search effort, said the man vanished on Sunday in the area of Marathokampos. Rescuers have been using drones and search dogs in an attempt to locate the man since his disappearance.
Rescuers search for a missing 74-year-old Dutch tourist in Samos on June 9, 2024.
Facebook via Hellenic Rescue Team of Samos
On Tuesday, rescuers continued their search for the Dutch tourist using a boat to scan the island’s coastline. A helicopter was also deployed to search from the air. The effort was fruitless.
The next day, rescuers returned to search despite the day’s 39.5-degree Celsius heat.
The search for a missing 74-year-old Dutch tourist continued in Samos on June 12, 2024, despite a heatwave ongoing in the region.
Facebook via Hellenic Rescue Team of Samos
Both Calibet and the Dutch tourist are still missing. The respective searches for them are ongoing. The heatwave in Greece is expected to peak on Thursday before the weather cools in the subsequent days.
On Wednesday and Thursday, some schools in the country closed as a result of the heatwave while other tourist destinations, such as the Acropolis, restricted their visiting hours.
Europe is expected to get very high temperatures and prolonged periods of heat this summer. The continent is the fastest-warming of all seven, with temperatures reportedly rising at roughly twice the global average.
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