Missing tourist found dead on Greek island amid spate of disappearances

17 June 2024 , 08:34

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59-year-old Eric Calibet, an American tourist, went missing on Tuesday after deciding to go out on a solo hike on the Greek island of Amorgos (Image: Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

A US tourist has been found dead on a beach on a remote Greek island after going missing amid a spate of disappearances.

The man's body was discovered on the small island of Mathraki by another holidaymaker on a rocky beach on Sunday.

He had been reported missing on Thursday by his host, a Greek-American friend. His last sighting was at a cafe on Tuesday with two female tourists who have since left the island.

No further details about the victim, including his name or hometown, have been released. Mathraki, home to just 100 residents, is a heavily wooded island located west of the more popular Corfu.

This incident adds to a growing list of recent cases where tourists on Greek islands have either died or gone missing, often after setting off on hikes in extreme heat. A 74-year-old Dutch tourist was found face down in a ravine by a fire department drone on Saturday, roughly 300 metres from where he was last seen struggling in the intense heat.

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Some of the last CCTV images of Dr Mosley

TV doctor Michael Mosley was found dead recently after a four-day manhunt on the Greek island of Symi

In another tragic case, famous British TV presenter and author, Dr. Michael Mosley, was found dead last Sunday on the island of Symi. A coroner concluded that he had died the previous Wednesday, shortly after going for a hike over difficult, rocky terrain.

The cameraman who found a body in the search Dr Mosley broke down in tears while addressing the star's family.

A body amid the search for the doctor was discovered in a rocky area beside Agia Marina on Symi on Sunday after an extensive search operation led by emergency workers. It is thought to have been there for several days. Just mere hours before a body was found amid the search, Michael's wife Clare said: "We will not lose hope."

While speaking to Sky News, the local cameraman, Antonios, who found the body this morning, broke down in tears when he explained how the body they found matched the description of Dr Michael Mosley. He explained how they took a photo of the screen with an iPhone before zooming in and being able to "clearly see" that it was a man "lying down" with "his hand on his belly".

Retired US cop Eric Calibet is still missing after he vanished on the island of Amorgos on Tuesday (Municipality of Amorgos)

He then said: "The description is exactly of the guy we were looking for." He broke down and emotionally added: "I'm really sorry for the family, I'm sorry that I'm the one to find him. I wish we had better news."

On Friday, two French holidaymakers were reported missing on the relatively secluded island of Sikinos in the Aegean Sea, a Cyclades island with fewer than 400 permanent residents. The women, aged 64 and 73, had left their hotels to meet up.

Meanwhile, on the island of Amorgos, also part of the Cyclades, authorities are still on the hunt for a 59 year old tourist who has been missing since Tuesday after he embarked on a solo hike in sweltering conditions. The missing man has been identified by US media as retired Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Albert Calibet from Hermosa Beach, California.

Charlie Jones