An American tourist was found dead on a beach on the Greek island of Matraki on Sunday, authorities said, the latest in a series of foreign tourists who have been found dead or gone missing in the scenic resort area over the past week.
The body of the missing American was found on a beach near Matraki’s old port at about 1:30pm local time, a representative of the Matraki community told ABC News.
The cause of death was not immediately revealed.
Investigators told ABC News that the man was last seen on Tuesday at a tavern in Matraki, west of Corfu, where he was staying with a Greek-American friend.
Investigators said the friend called police after returning home Thursday to find the door to the house open, the lights on and the air conditioner running, but there was no sign of the missing Americans or their identification or travel documents.
Matraki has no police station or coastguard, and law enforcement officials from Corfu have been called in to assist with the investigation.
The president of Matraki said a coroner would be heading to the island on Sunday for a preliminary investigation. The body will be taken to nearby Corfu where an autopsy will be carried out, officials said.
It’s the second time in a week that an American tourist has been reported missing in the Greek islands.
The search continued Sunday for a retired Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who has been missing since Tuesday on the Greek island of Amorgos, authorities said. The retired deputy, identified by Greek authorities as Albert Carivet, 59, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., became missing after not returning from a hike, authorities said.
Drone footage obtained by Los Angeles station KABC showed rescuers scouring the rocky terrain where Calivet was believed to have been hiking.
“It breaks our hearts to think that he’s out there somewhere,” Carivet’s girlfriend, Debbie Lechaine, told KABC.
Lechene said she received a call from Carivet just before she set off on her hike. They spoke for about six minutes, after which Carivet sent her a photo of a trail sign around 9:20 a.m. local time on Tuesday. That was the last she heard from him, she said.
A missing 74-year-old Dutch tourist was found dead on the eastern Greek island of Samos on Saturday, according to the Associated Press.
The body of the Dutch tourist, whose name has not been released, was discovered by firefighters using a drone and was found face-down in a ravine 330 yards from where he was last seen walking.
Officials said observers reported that Dutch tourists were struggling to hike in the 30+ degree Celsius heat that blanketed the islands.
Five tourists who went missing or were found dead were thought to have been hiking in the scorching heat.
On June 9, Dr. Michael Mosley, a well-known British television presenter and author, was found dead on the island of Symi. The coroner determined that he died on or around June 5, shortly after hiking through dangerous, rocky terrain.
