FIREFIGHTERS were seen searching a maze of tunnels dubbed "The Abyss" as they raced against time to locate missing TV doctor Michael Mosley.
The Brit presenter, 67, vanished on Wednesday on the Greek island of Symi and rescuers fear he could have made a "wrong turn" on the treacherous rocky path.
As the gruelling search across rough terrain continues in extreme heat, firefighters were seen this afternoon entering the coastal area known by locals as "The Abyss".
The rocky outcrop features a network of water-filled "bottomless" tunnels close to Agia Marina - where the search is now concentrated.
A waiter at a nearby beach told The Telegraph: “It’s like a deep system of tunnels, but it is full of water and can spread for kilometres.
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"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 Symi's deputy mayor Nikitas Gryllis reaffirmed the incredible difficulty of searching the rocky hills.
"It is a strange area, a mountain with many blind and dangerous spots, which must be combed meter by meter," he told Greek news outlet News.gr.
He added that time was wasted as until yesterday "we were going in blind" as they scoured the wrong parts of the island.
Police last night were forced to refocus their search after footage revealed that Dr Mosley headed towards a perilous three-hour hike through the mountains.
It is now believed Dr Mosley left the beach at Saint Nikolaos where he had been with his wife Clare and two friends before walking back alone without his mobile phone to Pedi.
The CCTV, which was released today, shows he carried on through the fishing village and headed towards a rocky path in blazing temperatures of up to 37C.
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A rescue worker said the decision to walk up into the mountains in the heat was “inexplicable”.
"The path is not easy to follow. If he took a wrong turn, he would be lost.
“He could be anywhere. It is a race against time.”
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 Nikolaos 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
Another rescuer told The Mirror: "It's like he went up there and the earth swallowed him up."
A third rescuer said: "I don't think anything strange has happened to him. This is Symi: it's a very small island and people just don't disappear.
"There is always hope," they told the Mail.
The longstanding Mayor Eleftherios Papakalodouka said this afternoon that "troubling questions" remain about Mosley's movements on Wednesday.
"Why did he leave the beach and his wife and friends? he asked, adding: “Why did he not take his telephone?
“He seemed to be walking very determinedly, surely it would have been better to stop and have a coffee or some water but no he decided to carry on.”
Search teams and the mayor both told The Sun the walking route can be incredibly “dangerous” and “treacherous” with no shade.
Mayor Papakalodouka added that Mosley had no water, stating: “You can’t survive in this weather.”
Describing the mountainous route, he said: "The area is so difficult to walk. It’s so rocky.
“He wouldn’t have known where he was going. He could have got lost."
Papakalodouka also stated today that there was "no chance" the search would be called off until Mosley was found.
Mosley's wife Dr Clare Bailey, 62, released an emotional statement today saying her family would "not lose hope".
“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 four children - Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine - arrived on the island on Friday to join the search efforts.
Arthur, Mosley’s brother, confirmed the children arrived last night and we "walking the path trying to find him".
“Unfortunately, when you get to Michael’s age, accidents like this can happen.”
He told The Telegraph the family are "naturally hoping for a good outcome".
He added that his brother had been in “good spirits” when he last spoke to him as he travelled to Symi.
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