TV DOC HUNT
Divers join search for Dr Michael Mosley after mystery ‘sighting at bus stop’ as it emerges TV doc ‘wasn’t feeling well’
The mayor of the tiny island has put forward his own theory of what happened to Dr Mosley
TV DOCTOR Michael Mosley reportedly told his pals that he felt unwell before he left them at a beach - and was later seen at a bus stop, witnesses say.
Divers today joined cops, volunteers, and firefighters in the massive search for the missing British star, feared to have "fallen" on a walk.
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Dr Mosley is said to have left St Nicholas Beach on the Greek island of Symi alone about 1.30pm on Wednesday to return to the place where he was staying with his wife and two others in the village of Pedi.
The path he is thought to have taken is rocky but only takes about 10 minutes to walk, said the mayor of Symi, Eleftherios Papakalodoukas.
Greek journalist Ionna Niaoti told Talk TV: "It is understood that about 1.30pm local time, he said he was not feeling very well and he wanted to return home.
"So he went to a coastal path reaching the closest the village of Pedi, and this was the last time somebody saw him in Pedi."
Read more on Dr Mosley
She claimed Dr Mosley had told his wife Dr Clare Bailey and another couple who they were staying with that he was feeling unwell before he embarked on the short journey by himself.
As search and rescue personnel continued "combing" the island, and a sniffer dog and drones were deployed, a Symi local came forward to allege that they had seen Dr Mosley standing at a bus stop.
The resident claimed they saw the TV doctor waiting at a bus stop in Pedi at 2pm on Wednesday - thirty minutes after he left the beach, Greek newspaper reports.
To reach the house where he was staying, Dr Mosley would have had to walk a path of about 1,000 metres and then take a bus, the paper wrote.
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Deputy Mayor of Symi Nikitas Gryllis said: "The route is passable, it is a passable path. Many old people and foreigners do it. It is only dangerous if you go near the rocks.
"There is testimony that he was seen at two in the afternoon at the bus stop. There is no information if he got on the bus and if he got off at a certain stop.
"The person who saw him has also told this to the Police and the Fire Department."
Search and rescue teams aided by a sniffer dog are today retracing Dr Mosley's last known steps on the island of Symi.
The Diagnosis Detectives - Trailer for the four-part series with Michael Mosley
Police resumed their massive search - and every available coast guard officer on the island was deployed - as locals branded the doctor's disappearance "strange".
Divers were said today to be "looking into the water" with the help of the Hellenic Coast Guard after search personnel "looked everywhere" else, the island's deputy mayor Ilias Chaskas told BBC News.
A sniffer dog was brought from Athens to walk the same rocky path Dr Mosley supposedly took alone to get back to his accommodation, and all CCTV footage captured by Pedi businesses was examined - but nothing of note was found.
Speaking with The Sun, the security officer leading search and rescue operations in the southern Aegean revealed earlier today: "We'll retrace his footsteps, we'll scour the entire area.
"The arrival of the dog, trained by police for exactly this kind of situation, is crucial."
A team of five Rhodes-based investigators were also set to arrive on the tiny isle today to take witness statements and expand the probe.
The cop said: "People will be brought in for questioning as we go into the next phase of the investigation."
Timeline for Dr Mosley's disappearance
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
- AROUND 2:20pm- Witnesses claim to have seen Dr Mosley talking to an elderly man in the town with one other person present
- 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
- 2pm- Six firefighters, a vehicle and a drone team were all seen arriving in Symi from Rhodes
- 7pm- Helicopters deployed over the island
FRIDAY JUNE 7
- Extra police squadrons, coast guard officials, specially-trained sniffer dogs and military helicopters expected to help in the search
Around 30 coastguard personnel were today committed to looking for the father-of-four, reports.
Mayor Papakalodoukas said the operation's focus had to "turn to the sea" after other search options were exhausted.
He said: "This is a small place and it is difficult for a man to just disappear," adding that the area was "controlled" and full of people "so if something happened to him there, we would have found him by now".
It is the mayor's belief that Dr Mosley, who is a columnist for the Daily Mail, likely either "followed another path" or fell into the sea.
Police initially said the doctor may have "fallen from a height" or lost consciousness on the short hike home from the beach.
One woman in the area claimed the disappearance was particularly "strange" because the path Dr Mosley was believed to have taken back to his accommodation was "clear".
She said: "It's a quiet place … if you see the map of the area it's a clear path, it's nothing dangerous.
"Many people go every day, every few minutes, that's the reason it's very strange because it's a clear path."
This is a small place and it is difficult for a man to just disappear
Eleftherios Papakalodoukas
And a pal of someone the doctor was staying with said she also could not understand how he could have gotten lost on the island.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Drive programme, she said: "It's a road that sort of heads over the mountain side but it's been recently widened and there is only one route, so it's not possible to lose your way.
"So, it is probably a 20-minute walk down the side of the mountain, but it's not overly rugged or something that would be seen to be too dangerous, it's something that tourists do every day in the summer.
"I'm having trouble understanding how you could get lost."
Police, firefighters, the coast guard, and volunteers are searching for Dr Mosley on land and sea today using a helicopter, drones, and a rescue dog - with temperatures expected to soar as high as 48C.
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Dr Mosley's wife Dr Bailey alerted cops on Wednesday evening when he failed to return home by 7.30pm from the 10-minute coastal walk.
Officers paused the search-and-rescue operation on Thursday night.
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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