Fresh twist in Michael Mosley mystery as TV doctor could have SWUM to cave amid fears he is ‘trapped’ in tunnel system
THE mysterious disappearance of Michael Mosley took a new turn last night after rescuers feared the TV doctor could be trapped in an underwater tunnel system.
Specialists are investigating the complex network of caves known to locals as "The Abyss" amid fears the 67-year-old could have gotten into trouble - and maybe even swum to the "bottomless" caverns.
A source last night revealed distressed wife Clare Bailey had told rescuers more details about what Mosley was carrying with him at the time he disappeared on the Greek island of Symi.
She told how he had a "khaki backpack and had his wallet, a bottle of water and a watch", reports The Mail on Sunday.
The longest and most unbearable days for myself and my children
Clare Bailey
It is understood teams, assisted by the TV doctor's adult three sons and daughter, are now continuing their efforts near The Abyss.
Mosley's mysterious disappearance has sparked a huge rescue operation as fears grow for his wellbeing amid the island's harsh conditions and blazing temperatures.
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It was so hot that this morning it was reported the search dogs had to be withdrawn as they were burning their paws on the rocks.
The TV doc has not been seen since Wednesday afternoon when he left his wife Clare and pals on Saint Nikolas beach to walk to his holiday accommodation.
He left the beach, walked along a coastal path, was caught on CCTV at least twice in the village of Pedi, and then vanished seemingly without a trace.
Searches are focusing on the island's north-east - with one leading theory being that Dr Mosley took a wrong turn while trying to get back to Symi town.
Instead of heading on the easier route, he may have veered onto a two-mile path from Pedi to Agia Marina - which has been cordoned off as part of the search.
Dr Mosley would have to have swum from the Agia Mariana beach to access the caves known as "The Abyss".
This is how divers and the coastguard had to reach the treacherous location.
But locals also suggested he may have fallen in.
"If there is a hole and you fall, you lose your sense of balance and drown there.
“There is a reason they call it 'The ‘Abyss. There is something very strange going on.”
The firefighters spent an hour looking inside, but said it was difficult to see through the mass of rocks, The Times reports.
The search has continued on towards the port, with at least 100 rescuers and volunteers and a helicopter involved in the mission.
It comes as distressed Dr Mosley's distressed wife Dr Bailey yesterday described the past few days as “the longest and most unbearable” — but bravely vowed she “will not lose hope”.
What we know so far:
- Dr Michael Mosley has been missing since Wednesday afternoon
- He was on holiday with wife Clare & two pals on the island of Symi in Greece
- The BBC presenter vanished after going to walk home from Saint Nikolas beach
- Rescuers have said 'people don't just vanish' as the mystery deepens into what happened to him
- His phone was left at his hols accommodation
- He was sighted on CCTV in the town of Pedi
- Rescuers fear Dr Mosley took a wrong turn and ended up in a difficult mountainous area in the island's north
- Police, firefighters, locals, drones, dogs, boats, divers and a helicopter have been deployed to find him
- His family vowed not to give up hope in a statement by wife Clare - with his four children flying to Symi
- The disappearance is being compared to another Brit - John Tossell - who vanished in 2019
- Dr Mosley's celebrity pals have spoken out - wishing for his safe return
On Saturday, new CCTV footage showed 67-year-old Dr Mosley walking up a mountain path on the Greek island of Symi before vanishing on Wednesday.
The island’s mayor then admitted rescue parties had been hunting in the wrong area — and that he feared no one could survive lost in heat touching 40C.
As the search widened, local firefighters began probing water-filled caves so deep they are known as The Abyss.
In all, around 100 rescuers are working around the clock on the ten-mile wide island with a population of only 2,500.
'LONGEST AND MOST UNBEARABLE DAYS'
They scoured the unstable paths and searched inside crumbling stone sheep huts as Dr Bailey, 62, released her first public statement after being joined by their four grown-up children in Greece.
She said: “It has been three days since Michael left the beach to go for a walk.
“The longest and most unbearable days for myself and my children.
“The search is ongoing and our family are so incredibly grateful to the people of Symi, the Greek authorities and the British Consulate who are working tirelessly to help find Michael. We will not lose hope.”
The couple’s children — Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine — are understood to have joined in the search yesterday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, the island’s deputy mayor Nikitas Gyllis said they had been denied permission because they did not have the right gear.
Health guru Dr Mosley had left his wife and two friends on Agios Nikolaos beach at 1.30pm, saying he was feeling unwell and would walk back to their holiday home, where he had left his phone.
He set off on what should have been a 20-minute walk back to Symi Town. The alarm was raised at 7.30pm.
Dr Mosley, who has often appeared on The One Show and This Morning, was initially thought he had got into trouble or fallen from a height on a coastal route.
But CCTV showed him shortly before 2pm using a brolly to shelter from the sun as he walked past a shop in the village of Pedi.
Footage taken by a house camera and released yesterday appeared to show him embarking on what would be a three-hour long trek back to his accommodation, across rocky, hilly terrain, in blazing temperatures.
There were some reports investigators had found later CCTV of him without his umbrella.
SEARCH AREA
Mayor of Symi, Eleftherios Papakalodouka, told The Sun on Sunday that searchers had been looking in the wrong spot for the first two days.
The search area has now been expanded to cover a radius of 7km — or 4½ miles — including areas which officials have described as “treacherous”.
It is centred around Agia Marina which is 3km from Pedi and accessible only by foot or water taxi.
The fire service was exploring a sprawling network of caves, known as The Abyss.
We’re almost sure he walked into the hills and up there it’s about ten degrees hotter with no shade. If you ask me I think he collapsed with the heat. It was just too much
Mr Papakalodouka
The maze sits beneath a rocky outcrop off Agia beach and can fill rapidly with seawater.
Mr Papakalodouka said: “We know he came through Pedi and then walked onwards towards Agia Marina.
“It is about two miles and a harder walk than from St Nicholas. If he did try and walk that way to Symi then that is a big mistake. There are also many troubling questions here. Why did he leave the beach and his wife and friends? Why did he not take his telephone?
“From the CCTV footage it’s also clear he didn’t stop for a drink in Pedi or take a rest.”
Mr Papakalodouka pointed out Dr Mosley had no water with him, adding: “You cannot survive in this weather.”
The mayor said he believes the TV star probably collapsed from heat exhaustion.
He went on: “We’re almost sure he walked into the hills and up there it’s about ten degrees hotter with no shade. If you ask me I think he collapsed with the heat. It was just too much.”
He had previously expressed fears Dr Mosley may have been bitten by a snake.
ANALYSIS: Retracing Dr Mosley's 'last steps'
By Ed Southgate in Symi
JUST 15 minutes into the walking route Michael Mosley is thought to have taken, I had stumbled, questioned where the path is and sweated a lot.
Locals and other tourists have said the walk is fine - although have warned about snakes - whereas search rescue teams have called it dangerous, treacherous and questioned why the TV doctor would have gone up in the searing midday heat.
While it is certainly doable, it is difficult.
The path is not well sign posted and two tourists, who went on the walk this week, said they had to check their map along the way.
But the mystery of where he has gone grows each day with locals baffled by how someone can disappear on the small island.
A helicopter has been flying low over the mountainous terrain while search teams have the challenging task of walking through the rocky terrain in the searing heat.
Today it reached 36C.
Concern over what could have happened and how is growing by the hour as he remains missing, with the search now in its fourth day.
But wife Clare, who called the last few days “unbearable”, has vowed: “We will not lose hope.”
Symi is home to the Ottoman Viper, one of Europe’s most deadly.
But he still hoped he will be found “safe and alive”.
Mr Papakalodouka added: “All the community is so sad about this, it has never happened before.”
And he insisted he will not call the search off until the TV doctor is found.
Meanwhile, it emerged that a helicopter was due to be brought in from mainland Greece, equipped with specialist thermal imaging cameras.
One rescue worker described Dr Mosley’s decision to walk in the midday heat as “inexplicable” and said they were in a “race against time” to find the veteran journalist, known for popularising the 5:2 diet.
The rescue worker added: “The path is not easy to follow. If he took a wrong turn, he would be lost. He could be anywhere.”
A police insider said temperatures were so high in the area that they were “a real problem”.
He added: “Even the sniffer dog we brought in from the mainland could only be out there for an hour this morning.”
Since starting their search on Thursday morning, cops on Symi — around 25 miles north of Rhodes — have been joined by firefighters, specialist search units from mainland Greece, the Red Cross, and a group of British volunteers, with assistance from military helicopters and drones.
Are you holidaying in Symi? Did you see Michael Mosley? Contact us at worldnews@the-sun.co.uk or WhatsApp 07741005808 for free.
Greek authorities initially concentrated their search on the sea, with a team of divers called in, before the focus moved inland.
Firefighter Stergos Giakoumakis said his ten-strong team are searching multiple summits deemed too dangerous for large crews.
He said they were having to use umbrellas for shade and added: “Everything is dry and it is too dangerous for firemen to search.”
Mosley’s phone is now believed to be in possession of criminal investigators on the island.
But on Friday Mr Papakalodouka had spelled out: “I very much doubt there is a criminal aspect in this case, as least as far as the local community is concerned. I very much doubt any of the inhabitants of the island acted in that way.
“I do believe, however, an elderly man walking on his own without a phone in an unknown island and that sort of heat could lead to many conclusions.”
The doctor’s brother Arthur Mosley said he had been in “good spirits” before he left the UK to holiday with his GP wife and another couple on long Symi, which is famed for its beautiful beaches, colourful neoclassical houses and breathtaking harbour.
He said he still hoped there would be a “good outcome”, adding: “Unfortunately, when you get to Michael’s age, accidents like this can happen.”
Dr Mosley has a newspaper column and has fronted TV shows including Channel 4’s Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat?
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He has been up front about his own health, telling fans he is diabetic and has high blood-pressure.
Dr Mosley has also opened up about his struggle with insomnia and spoke about suffering an episode of sudden short-term memory loss in 2019.
Timeline of 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
- 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
- 10.50am: New CCTV is released showing Mosley leaving Pedi and heading towards mountainous path
- 11am Symi's mayor says 'no chance' search will be called off until he is found
- 12pm Mosley's wife Clare says the family will 'not lose hope' but confesses the last few days have been 'unbearable'
- 3pm A helicopter joins the search effort in the mountains