'RACE AGAINST TIME' New CCTV shows Michael Mosley leaving village for perilous 3-hour trek as mystery deepens over missing TV doc
NEW CCTV shows TV doctor Michael Mosley leaving a Greek village to embark on a "treacherous" three-hour trek before he vanished.
The image appears to be the last-known sighting of the 67-year-old as he is seen carrying an umbrella on the edge of Pedi
It comes as the local mayor warned no one "could survive" in the intense heat and barren conditions in hills near the village of Pedi.
Mosley, 67, known for popularising the 5:2 diet and for his appearances on The One Show and This Morning, vanished on Wednesday after setting off on a walk.
Rescue teams are now scouring a radius of up to 7km on the Greek island of Symi after their focus shifted last night to a perilous mountain path they believe Mosley took.
It is much larger and more dangerous region than the initial search area - and again shifted the timeline of the dad-of-four's movements.
Rescuers have described the search operation as a "race against time" as it enters its fourth boiling-hot day.
Symi's mayor Eleftherios Papakalodouka admitted to The Sun that they had been searching the wrong 2km area originally.
He also insisted there is "no chance" the search will be called off - but warned it could conclude today.
Greek police today revealed to The Sun they are focusing their search on Agia Marina.
The marina is 3km from Pedi, where he was last seen on CCTV.
Police said officers, helicopters and drones have been deployed to the area.
The marina is only accessible by foot through a path that searchers describe as dangerous, or by water taxi.
It's like he went up there and the earth swallowed him up.
The last sighting of Mosley, caught on CCTV, showed him entering a mountainous walking route.
Once up there, there are two paths to take, which the BBC star could have got lost on.
Search teams and the mayor both told The Sun the route can be incredibly “dangerous” and “treacherous” with no shade.
Mayor Papakalodouka told The Sun that Mosley had no water with him, adding: “You can’t survive in this weather.”
He continued: “He could have been walking for an hour.
“The search is covering a 7km stretch. The area is so difficult to walk. It’s so rocky.
“He wouldn’t have known where he was going. He could have got lost.
“Yesterday they were searching the wrong spot. We will not calm the search off but it could conclude today.”
The mountains on the north coast of the island were not being searched originally.
A rescuer described Mosley's decision to take the three-hour mountain path as "inexplicable".
She told The Mirror: "The path is not easy to follow. If he took a wrong turn, he would be lost. He could be anywhere.
"It is a race against time."
Another rescuer told the outlet: "It's like he went up there and the earth swallowed him up."
A third rescuer said: "I don't think anything strange has happened to him. This is Symi: it's a very small island and people just don't disappear.
"There is always hope," they told the Mail.
The mayor also added that Mosley's wife Dr Clare Bailey, 62, has also been searching with other Brits,.
Their four adult children, who are said to be “stressed”, are understood to have arrived on the island yesterday evening.
Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine are said to be planning to retrace their father's last steps to try and get to the bottom of what happened.
Mosley’s brother, Arthur, said yesterday: “We are very shocked and perplexed by what has happened. His children have now all gone to Greece and are walking the path trying to find him.
“Unfortunately, when you get to Michael’s age, accidents like this can happen.”
He told The Telegraph the family are "naturally hoping for a good outcome".
He added that his brother had been in “good spirits” when he last spoke to him as he travelled to Symi.
WEDNESDAY JUNE 5
- 1.30pm: Dr Mosley decides to walk home alone to his holiday home in the town of Symi after going for a swim at a beach
- 1.50pm: The walk home is said to take around 20 minutes from Saint Nikolaos Beach despite the doctor never making it back
- 1.52pm: CCTV catches Dr Mosley walking past a shop in Pedi
- Approx 2.20pm: Witnesses claim to have seen Dr Mosley talking to an elderly man in the town with one other person present
- 2.30pm-5pm: Doc was last seen on a house camera on a treacherous path heading towards the Agia Marina
- 7.30pm: Dr Mosley's wife, Dr Clare Bailey, raises the alarm and calls cops
THURSDAY JUNE 6
- 10.30am: Police file missing person report and the search gets underway
- 11am: Police appeal for any information
- 2pm: Six firefighters, a vehicle and a drone team were all seen arriving in Symi from Rhodes
- 7pm: Helicopters deployed over the island
- 8pm: First day of the search called off for the night
FRIDAY JUNE 7
- 7am Extra police squadrons, coast guard officials, specially-trained sniffer dogs and military helicopters helped in the search
- 5pm The first CCTV images are released of Dr Mosley with his umbrella near the Blue Corner bar
SATURDAY JUNE 8
- 7am Police launch a search of a new area of around 7km as they step up the hunt
WHAT HAPPENED?
The TV doctor went missing on Wednesday after leaving his wife and friends on Saint Nikolas beach.
He said he was feeling ill and would walk back alone.
CCTV images later emerged which show Dr Mosley in the town of Pedi, shielding himself from the sun with an umbrella.
The last sighting of Mosley was caught on CCTV at 2pm close to the entrance of a dangerous mountain path.
The route is a three-hour hike back to Symi Town, where he was staying with his wife Clare and another couple.
Mosley had not returned to his accommodation by 3pm despite temperatures soaring to 40C.
His wife raised the alarm at 7.30pm on Wednesday. His phone remained in their accommodation.
Overnight on Wednesday, local authorities began to trace Mosley's steps but were unable to locate him.
By 12pm on Thursday, cops were scouring the coast with the help of drones, firefighters, volunteers and police dogs.
Police initially said the doctor may have "fallen from a height" or lost consciousness on the short hike home from the beach.
At 7pm, a helicopter was deployed to assist in the search.
The search resumed on Friday morning where temperatures reached 48C with all of Symi's patrol boats out searching
Yesterday afternoon, new CCTV images of Mosley in Pedi emerged and by the evening cops shifted their search to a new mountainous route.
Mayor Papakaloudoukas added this morning that "all the community is so sad about this, [it has] never happened before".
Who is Dr Michael Mosley?
BY Henry Holloway, Deputy Foreign Editor
DR MICHAEL Mosley is a TV presenter and health expert known for his work with the BBC - with regular appearances on The One Show.
He is a diet expert who advocated for intermittent fasting, low-carb diets and has written books promoting keto.
Born in India, he studied philosophy, politics and economics and worked as a banker before graduating from medical school.
He joined the BBC in 1985 as an assistant producer, and quickly rose through the ranks - becoming a popular presenter.
Dr Michael worked on programmes such The Human Face with Professor Robert Winston - and Inventions that Changed The World with Jeremy Clarkson.
Eventually fronting his own shows and regularly appearing on breakfast television, he gained a reputation as a diet guru.
He also hosted the BBC podcast Just One Thing.
The TV star is married to Clare Bailey, a GP, and they have four children.
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