The search for missing TV doctor Michael Mosley has become a “race against time”, as rescuers shift focus to a snake-infested mountainous path amid soaring temperatures.
CCTV images have emerged showing the 67-year-old at 2pm on Wednesday in the town of Pedi, half an hour after he left Saint Nikolas Beach on the Greek island of Symi.
Having gone to the beach with his wife Clare and another couple, Mosley preferred to return on foot, according to Athens-based newspaper Kathimerini.
Pedi is a small town in a bay around 1.2km from the beach.
The CCTV images – captured by a restaurant – appear to show Mosley wearing a dark T-shirt, shorts and a cap. He is carrying an umbrella.
Separate footage seen by rescuers from a house at the edge of Pedi appears to show him entering a mountainous path heading inland, rather than following the coast or taking a more direct route towards the centre of the island.
One of the rescuers said Mosley’s decision was “inexplicable”, as it would have taken a fit young person three hours to walk.
“The path is not easy to follow, if he took a wrong turn, he would be lost,” she said of the little-used path.
“He could be anywhere, it is a race against time.”
Mosley was last seen in the small town of Pedi. Pic: Yui Mok/PA
The area being searched has been described as ‘very dangerous’. Pic: Yui Mok/PA
The hunt for Mosley resumed at 6am on Saturday, with firefighters scouring a 6.5km radius over a mountainous area, which search organisers described as “very dangerous”. Divers had joined the search on Friday.
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Symi’s mayor has said there is “no chance” the search will be called off until he is found.
Speaking through a translator, Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas questioned how anyone could survive in the heat that topped 40C on the day Mosley disappeared.
The search dog was only able to work for an hour on Saturday morning due to the temperature, he added.
Dr Michael Mosley with wife Clare. Pic: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Mr Papakaloudoukas said the area Mosley is believed to have ventured into is “only rocks” and “difficult to pass”, with “loads” of snakes.
He hoped the Briton was found “safe and alive” and said “all the community is so sad about this, (it has) never happened before”.
Mosley, his wife and the other couple arrived in Symi for a week’s holiday on Tuesday, according to local media.
The search for the doctor has been ongoing since Wednesday afternoon.
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The ongoing search
The search has so far seen all of Symi’s coastguard patrol boats deployed while private and commercial vessels in the area have also helped.
Map of the Greek island Symi
Police and firefighters have used drones to scan the island and a helicopter was deployed on Thursday. Divers have been looking in the water and sniffer dogs have also been used.
Locals have assisted police in the search
Authorities have considered a number of possibilities, including Mosley may have suffered a fall – or could have been bitten by a snake, Greek news website ekathimerini.com reported.
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Mosley is a columnist and broadcaster who has made a number of films about diet and exercise.
He fronted the Channel 4 show Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat? and was part of the BBC series Trust Me, I’m A Doctor. He has also appeared on numerous daytime television shows and hosts the health podcast, Just One Thing.
