Three foreign tourists died and two are missing in Greece during hikes on the Aegean islands as the country is baking under the early June heatwave.
Fears are growing that foreign visitors are not aware or being properly informed of the risks posed by overexertion in the searing heat.
Dimitris Kalatzis, who heads the Samos rescue team for a missing Dutch tourist, said missions were often made more difficult because tourists, frequently unaware of the risks, “veered off track” to see sites and then got lost.
“We saw a couple [of foreigners] walking a trail in 41C without hats,” he said. “It defies logic.”
The list of tourists found dead or still missing in Greece
June 5: A 67-year-old Dutch tourist collapsed and died of a heart attack while crossing the Mylon gorge in Rethymno, Crete as temperatures reached 40 degrees.
June 6: A 70-year-old French tourist collapsed and died while walking on a deserted beach – between Kouremenos and Zakros in Sitia, Crete. Emergency services that reached her were unable to save her life.
June 6: British TV presenter Michael Mosley, was found dead on the island of Symi. The 67-year-old Brit left on 5/6, at 1:30 p.m., on foot, from a beach to return to his accommodation in the capital of the island, Gyalos. His body was found on the beach of Agia Marina.
June 6: A 74-year-old Dutch tourist disappeared during a hike on Samos and is still missing. The official search and rescue operation ended on Friday although volunteers and friends are still looking for him.
June 11: 59-year-old American tourist Eric Albert Calibet has been missing since midday Tuesday on Amorgos after starting a long hike across the island.
Search for missing tourists in Greece
The official search and rescue operation for the 74-year-old Dutch tourist os Samos ended on Friday, although volunteers are still combing the area where he was last assumed to be hiking.
The Dutch tourist, according to Samosvoice, has been missing since 2 pm on Sunday. He reportedly disappeared while hiking between the areas of Limnionas and Klima, southwest of the island.
Greek police said the tourist lost his orientation on a path in the area of Limnionas. It was reported that the last sign he was alive was at 2 pm in the same area.
There are fears that the man may have found himself in the sea, either to swim or from a possible fall from a height on the route he followed.
Albert Calibet, a 59-year-old from California, vanished sometime Tuesday afternoon shortly after he embarked on a four-hour hike on the Greek island of Amorgos. He was last seen traveling along a route toward the village of Katapola.
In the days since, several agencies have joined the search for Calibet, including volunteers from the Coast Guard and crews from the nearby islands of Paros and Naxos. They’re also using a drone to search the more northern part of the island.
Lefteris Karaiskos, the mayor of the island, told Greek Reporter that the search and rescue operation will continue until at least Sunday. He also said that his American partner and a couple of his friends are arriving on Saturday on Amorgos to aid the operations.
Deputy Calibet is a former policeman working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Transit Service Bureau since April 16, 1998. He retired in 2018 and returned to serve as a 120-day part-time employee
Calibet — a seasoned hiker — “is well-known on the island. He has been visiting for several years,” said Calliope Despotidi the deputy mayor of Amorgos.
Speaking to Greek Reporter she said that he was known to the locals for his love of hiking. “He had completed the Aegiali-Katapola hike several times in the past.
“It is strange because he is not a person who walked the route for the first time. He knows Amorgos better than me,” Despotidi said.