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CatastropheGreece

US tourist found dead in Greece, 3 more missing

June 16, 2024

It is the latest in a number of cases in which tourists on the Greek islands have died or gone missing. Greece is experiencing unusually high summer temperatures.

https://p.dw.com/p/4h6wk
Members of the Hellenic Red Cross hand over bottles of water to tourists who line up to visit the Acropolis hill
Greece is experiencing unusually high temperatures for this time of yearImage: Stelios Misinas/REUTERS

The body of a tourist from the United States was found on a beach on the Greek island of Mathraki, near Corfu, authorities said Sunday.

It is the latest grim discovery in a string of incidents involving dead or missing foreign tourists in Greece over the past few weeks.

On Saturday, a 74-year-old Dutchman was found dead by the fire service in Samos less than a week after British TV personality Michael Mosley was found dead on the island of Symi.

A old windmill on the island of Symi
Michael Mosley went for a walk on the island of Symi when he went missingImage: Anna Reinert/imageBROKER/picture alliance

Search for more missing tourists

Authorities on Mathraki said the body of the American tourist was found Sunday on a rocky, fairly remote beach by another tourist.

His host, a Greek-American friend, reported him missing Thursday. He was last seen Tuesday at a cafe in the company of two female tourists.

On Friday, two French tourists were reported missing on Sikinos, a secluded Cyclades island in the Aegean Sea. The two women, aged 64 and 73, had left their respective hotels to meet.

Meanwhile, on the island of Amorgos, authorities are still searching for another American tourist reported missing since Tuesday. The man, identified by US media outlets as retired California sheriff's deputy officer Albert Calibet, had gone on a solo hike in sweltering conditions.

Temperatures on the rise

Greece is experiencing unusually high temperatures this tourist season.

Most missing or deceased tourists were attempting hikes under the scorching sun.

Greece recorded temperatures reaching 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in many areas of the country in the first week of June.

Meteorologists have noted it was the earliest heat wave on record.

Athens authorities closed the Acropolis, Greece's most visited attraction, twice this week during the hottest hours of the day.

lo/nm (AP, AFP)