In the worst possible way, the search for British BBC presenter Michael Mosley, who had disappeared since Wednesday afternoon while on holiday on the island with his wife and a friendly couple, has ended in Symi.
The 67-year-old was found dead in a rocky area and about 10 metres from the sea on Agia Marina beach, as shown in the photo below. Next to him was found the umbrella he was holding on the day he disappeared, while in his hand he was wearing a digital watch. In addition, Mosley was on his back, with his left hand on his chest.
At first, the coroner reportedly appears to rule out foul play, as he did not detect any blows. It is advanced decomposition, so he cannot determine cause of death macroscopically, nor can he determine if Mosley fell off the rocks. The official results of the autopsy, which will take place in Rhodes, are expected on Monday.
What is troubling, is the fact that although the searches were thorough, even having a helicopter “raised” to reinforce them, Mosley’s body was finally found several 24 hours after his disappearance.
Photo: Journalists with the mayor of Symi, on the beach of Agia Marina, shortly before the body was found
The mayor of Symi, Lefteris Papakalodoukas, had boarded boats with journalists to show them the dangerous spots. There, mobile phone cameras spotted the 67-year-old presenter’s body as they took video and footage of the area.
Watch video footage of Agia Marina beach as seen from the journalists’ boats
Protothema.gr journalist Lina Kekesi was on the boats, as well as delegates from Star, Mega and ERT, as well as colleagues from foreign media and the BBC. According to descriptions, the body of the unfortunate British presenter was not visible to the naked eye, but was “caught” by mobile phone cameras, which recorded the footage and had to “zoom in” on the spot.
The Coast Guard was immediately called to the scene to seal the area.
According to the Independent, firefighters had been investigating a cave system since yesterday, which residents describe as “the abyss”. As they explain, the cave network, which is located on a picturesque beach, consists of dozens of tunnels that can quickly fill with seawater.
Dr Mosley was last seen leaving Agios Nikolaos beach at 1.30pm on Wednesday, when he was believed to be heading down the coastal path back to nearby Pedi. “It’s like a deep tunnel system, but it’s full of water and can spread for miles. There’s a reason they call it that. There’s something very strange going on there,” a waiter told the Daily Telegraph.
