Searches for a 62-year-old Romanian female tourist who has gone missing in Alykanas, a seaside resort on the east coast of Zakynthos, continued for a third consecutive day.

The coordinated efforts of the local authorities have so far produced no result, with the services involved working across the area and examining every spot where she may have gone.

The woman was last seen early on the morning of Saturday 12 September at the reception of the hotel where she was staying. Security camera footage from local businesses also reportedly shows her walking through the centre of Alykanas until about 10am.

Taking part are officers from Alykes Police Station, the Zakynthos Fire Service, the Zakynthos Port Authority (part of the Hellenic Coast Guard) and the Civil Protection service of the Zakynthos Regional Unit, which is using a drone. Also involved is the 6th Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK) of Patras, the Fire Service’s specialist search and rescue team, which has brought a trained dog named Avra.

According to the local news outlet Imerazante, residents came forward yesterday with fresh testimonies saying they had seen her near the Tsirogiannis stream. The police, Fire Service, EMAK and Civil Protection therefore decided to step up the search there, while also checking every other place she may have gone.

Local property owner Kostas Kontos may be one of the last people to have seen the woman. “A woman came to the entrance and asked me whether the road opposite the river goes through. I told her no and she left. Where she went after that, I don’t know,” he said. “She matched the description I was shown. It was three or four days ago, and then I heard she had disappeared.”

Civil Protection drone and EMAK dog assist the search

Alykanas Local Community President Spyros Tourikis said the area was being searched “inch by inch”. He added that she had been expected to leave on a group tour but never appeared.

“We are searching. The EMAK team has come here and we are looking for the woman. We went to a spot by the river, which is somewhere she may have gone. We lost track of her at the beach. She took the side road along the river, as the cameras at shops and guesthouses show, and we hope she is somewhere nearby. The search is under way. We also searched on Wednesday, when the Civil Protection drone came, along with the police and two people from EMAK with a dog. We are doing our best. We were not given any more information, only that she was expected, that she was supposed to leave with a group and never showed up.”

The state-of-the-art drone is equipped with a thermal camera and is sweeping the wider area for any trace that could lead to the woman from Romania.

“It is a very difficult area”

Maria Mouzaki, head of Civil Protection for the Zakynthos Regional Unit, said: “Our assistance was requested on Wednesday morning and we began searching immediately. We are taking part because our service has advanced equipment, including drones that can help locate missing people. Our drone can also detect any living organism, provided she is alive. The searches are already being carried out regularly. We are continuing with the help of the 6th EMAK, which has come from Patras, and the dog they brought with them. We cannot say anything yet, it is a very difficult area. It is very busy and has a great many spots, and although there are no mountains to make climbing hard, the locations are still tricky. We are also searching the Tsirogiannis river. If necessary, we will use our underwater drone, because there is a thought that she may be there. All possibilities are open. We all hope for the best.”

Mouzaki gave further details about the circumstances of the disappearance. “She was officially reported missing on Tuesday evening. Katastari Police Station began the searches first, and early on Wednesday morning the station chief contacted us so that we could help too. That was when it was officially declared. The last image of this woman is from the reception of the hotel where she was staying, very early on Saturday morning, at least according to the staff there. She had booked a tour around the island. She left the hotel but never appeared at that travel agency. She was alone on Zakynthos. She had come on holiday alone and took the tours alone. According to the hotel’s records, she had booked three excursions for the remaining days of her holiday, but from Saturday morning she never showed up at the agency. The official report to the police, however, was made on Tuesday evening.”

Mouzaki concluded that all the evidence that could indicate where the 62-year-old is being examined. “From the checks carried out by Katastari Police Station across the wider Alykanas area, going through cameras at the possible points she may have passed, the last camera that picked her up was between the two hotels. As it appeared, she was heading towards the sea, but there are also some testimonies from local residents saying they did not see her that way but on the opposite side of the road and in the areas around the Tsirogiannis river.”