THE distraught wife of missing TV doctor Michael Mosley last night described the past few days as “the longest and most unbearable” — but bravely vowed she “will not lose hope”.
Clare Bailey issued a statement as new CCTV showed 67-year-old Dr Mosley walking up a mountain path on the Greek island of Symi before vanishing on Wednesday.
The island’s mayor then admitted rescue parties had been hunting in the wrong area — and that he feared no one could survive lost in heat touching 40C.
As the search widened, local firefighters began probing water-filled caves so deep they are known as The Abyss.
In all, around 100 rescuers are working around the clock on the ten-mile wide island with a population of only 2,500.
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They scoured the unstable paths and searched inside crumbling stone sheep huts as Dr Bailey, 62, released her first public statement after being joined by their four grown-up children in Greece.
She said: “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 children — Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine — are understood to have joined in the search yesterday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, the island’s deputy mayor Nikitas Gyllis said they had been denied permission because they did not have the right gear.
Health guru Dr Mosley had left his wife and two friends on Agios Nikolaos beach at 1.30pm, saying he was feeling unwell and would walk back to their holiday home, where he had left his phone.
He set off on what should have been a 20-minute walk back to Symi Town. The alarm was raised at 7.30pm.
Dr Mosley, who has often appeared on The One Show and This Morning, was initially thought he had got into trouble or fallen from a height on a coastal route.
But CCTV showed him shortly before 2pm using a brolly to shelter from the sun as he walked past a shop in the village of Pedi.
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Footage taken by a house camera and released yesterday appeared to show him embarking on what would be a three-hour long trek back to his accommodation, across rocky, hilly terrain, in blazing temperatures.
There were some reports investigators had found later CCTV of him without his umbrella.
Mayor of Symi, Eleftherios Papakalodouka, told The Sun on Sunday that searchers had been looking in the wrong spot for the first two days.
The search area has now been expanded to cover a radius of 7km — or 4½ miles — including areas which officials have described as “treacherous”.
It is centred around Agia Marina which is 3km from Pedi and accessible only by foot or water taxi.
The fire service was exploring a sprawling network of caves, known as The Abyss.
The maze sits beneath a rocky outcrop off Agia beach and can fill rapidly with seawater.
Mr Papakalodouka said: “We know he came through Pedi and then walked onwards towards Agia Marina.
“It is about two miles and a harder walk than from St Nicholas. If he did try and walk that way to Symi then that is a big mistake. There are also many troubling questions here. Why did he leave the beach and his wife and friends? Why did he not take his telephone?
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
Michael Mosley's wife Clare
“From the CCTV footage it’s also clear he didn’t stop for a drink in Pedi or take a rest.”
Mr Papakalodouka pointed out Dr Mosley had no water with him, adding: “You cannot survive in this weather.”
The mayor said he believes the TV star probably collapsed from heat exhaustion.
He went on: “We’re almost sure he walked into the hills and up there it’s about ten degrees hotter with no shade. If you ask me I think he collapsed with the heat. It was just too much.”
He had previously expressed fears Dr Mosley may have been bitten by a snake.
Symi is home to the Ottoman Viper, one of Europe’s most deadly.
But he still hoped he will be found “safe and alive”.
Mr Papakalodouka added: “All the community is so sad about this, it has never happened before.”
And he insisted he will not call the search off until the TV doctor is found.
Meanwhile, it emerged that a helicopter was due to be brought in from mainland Greece, equipped with specialist thermal imaging cameras.
One rescue worker described Dr Mosley’s decision to walk in the midday heat as “inexplicable” and said they were in a “race against time” to find the veteran journalist, known for popularising the 5:2 diet.
The rescue worker added: “The path is not easy to follow. If he took a wrong turn, he would be lost. He could be anywhere.”
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
Michael Mosley's wife Clare
A police insider said temperatures were so high in the area that they were “a real problem”.
He added: “Even the sniffer dog we brought in from the mainland could only be out there for an hour this morning.”
Since starting their search on Thursday morning, cops on Symi — around 25 miles north of Rhodes — have been joined by firefighters, specialist search units from mainland Greece, the Red Cross, and a group of British volunteers, with assistance from military helicopters and drones.
Greek authorities initially concentrated their search on the sea, with a team of divers called in, before the focus moved inland.
Firefighter Stergos Giakoumakis said his ten-strong team are searching multiple summits deemed too dangerous for large crews.
He said they were having to use umbrellas for shade and added: “Everything is dry and it is too dangerous for firemen to search.”
Mosley’s phone is now believed to be in possession of criminal investigators on the island.
But on Friday Mr Papakalodouka had spelled out: “I very much doubt there is a criminal aspect in this case, as least as far as the local community is concerned. I very much doubt any of the inhabitants of the island acted in that way.
I very much doubt there is a criminal aspect in this case, as least as far as the local community is concerned
Eleftherios Papakalodouka
“I do believe, however, an elderly man walking on his own without a phone in an unknown island and that sort of heat could lead to many conclusions.”
The doctor’s brother Arthur Mosley said he had been in “good spirits” before he left the UK to holiday with his GP wife and another couple on long Symi, which is famed for its beautiful beaches, colourful neoclassical houses and breathtaking harbour.
He said he still hoped there would be a “good outcome”, adding: “Unfortunately, when you get to Michael’s age, accidents like this can happen.”
Dr Mosley has a newspaper column and has fronted TV shows including Channel 4’s Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat?
He has been up front about his own health, telling fans he is diabetic and has high blood-pressure.
Dr Mosley has also opened up about his struggle with insomnia and spoke about suffering an episode of sudden short-term memory loss in 2019.
