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The girlfriend of a missing American tourist has criticised Greek authorities for providing little cooperation in the search for him, saying she is “totally disgusted” by their efforts.
Albert Carivet, 59, went missing while hiking on the island of Amorgos last Tuesday and has yet to be found.
It has emerged that another missing hiker had also sent a distress message to a hotel in Greece before disappearing due to rising temperatures.
The “relentless” search for two missing French tourists, aged 73 and 64, on the island of Sikinos has intensified since they went missing on Friday.
As authorities continue to search the island, the owner of the guesthouse where the 73-year-old woman was staying said he missed her calls at 5:50 a.m. on the day she went missing and last heard from her at about 8:30 a.m.
A second French woman who went missing on Sikinos was not staying at the same hotel, but authorities believe the two missing women may have gone hiking together.
In recent weeks, several tourists have been found dead after going hiking in the extreme cold.
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Key Point
Death toll rises as American tourist found dead
A 55-year-old American was found dead on the Greek island of Matraki, police said Monday, the fifth tourist to be killed in recent weeks during unusually hot weather.
Police have not revealed the identity of the American whose body was found near the coast of Matraki island on Sunday. A police source told Reuters the body would be taken to Corfu where an autopsy would be carried out.
A 74-year-old Dutch tourist was found dead on the island of Samos on Saturday, and two hikers were found dead in Crete on June 5. Rescuers are also searching for two French women, aged 73 and 64, on the island of Sikinos and a 59-year-old American police officer on the island of Amorgos.
Earlier this month, Greece’s remote beaches, ancient ruins and mountain trails saw temperatures soar above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) as the holiday season just got underway.
“There is a common pattern: they had all gone hiking in high temperatures,” South Aegean police spokesman Petros Vasilakis told Reuters.
Athena StavrouJune 18, 2024 07:30
Tourists killed and missing, warning of heatstroke risk
Dimitris Katazis, head of the Samos rescue service, said tourists are not aware of the risks they face by walking in the heat and often “go off the path” to see tourist sites and then get lost. “We saw several tourists. [of foreigners] “It seems ridiculous to walk on a trail in 41 degree temperatures without a hat,” he told local media.
BBC Breakfast’s resident GP, Dr Mohit Mandiratta, warned that even healthy people can suffer complications in the heat. He told The Independent: “Heat can affect anyone, even healthy people, and if not treated immediately it can become very serious.”
“Symptoms can appear suddenly within minutes or gradually over hours, so it’s important that we all keep an eye out for symptoms.”
Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition that occurs when your body temperature rises above 40°C and requires immediate treatment.
A woman protects herself from the sun while taking a walk in Greece (EPA)
Holly EvansJune 19, 2024 13:40
Travel companies adjust trips according to heat levels
Radek Nowak, active product manager at Intrepid Travel, a travel agency specialising in walking trips, said he had had to adapt his trip to suit the heat: “With summer temperatures soaring in Europe, it’s certainly becoming more challenging to have a more active holiday.”
Intrepid no longer operates hiking tours in Spain and Portugal during the hottest months of July and August, instead adding winter tours in countries such as Greece and Croatia.
Radek adds: “When taking group walks or hikes in warm weather, plan your itinerary around the weather and leave early in the morning before the heat reaches its peak.”
Holly EvansJune 19, 2024 12:40
British boy goes missing in Tenerife, family appeals for help
A rescue operation has been launched on the Spanish island of Tenerfi after a British teenager went missing on Monday, amid growing concern over missing tourists in Greece.
Jay Slater, 19, from Lancashire, was last heard from at 8.15am and had told friends he had missed a bus and was planning to walk back to his accommodation, which would take around 11 hours.
His friend Lucy, who went to the island with him for the NRG music festival, told the Manchester Evening News that Slater had gone to stay with people he met while on holiday after a night out.
Jay Slater has been missing since Monday morning while walking in Tenerife (Supplied)
She said Slater had been walking home when he received a call saying he was lost, needed a drink of water and his phone had only 1% battery.
His cell phone was then disconnected, and his last known location was listed as Parque Rural de Teno, a mountain area popular with hikers.
His family has now flown to the scene and set up a Facebook group to help with the search.
Holly EvansJune 19, 2024 11:34
Missing hiker’s girlfriend criticizes Greek authorities for search operation
The girlfriend of a missing American tourist has criticised the search efforts of Greek authorities, accusing them of doing the bare minimum to find his partner.
Albert Carivet, 59, went missing on the island of Amorgos after setting off on a four-hour hike last Tuesday. The experienced hiker and former Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputy left his accommodation at 7 a.m. but did not respond to calls on his cell phone.
“We’re really disgusted by the way we were treated,” his partner, Debbie Leschene, told the New York Post. “Albert has been a paramedic since he was 25 years old. Everybody deserves to be searched, but he really, honestly deserves to be searched.”
After local authorities only provided a two-hour helicopter flight, she and his relatives traveled to the island themselves and formed their own rescue team.
Promises to increase searches using drones, sniffer dogs and helicopters have not been fulfilled, and attempts by the family to pay for more assistance have reportedly been rejected.
Albert Carivet has been missing since last Tuesday (Amorgos)
Holly EvansJune 19, 2024 10:34
Upcoming weather forecast for Greece
Last week, Greece recorded its fastest heatwave on record, with temperatures soaring to around 38°C for more than three consecutive days due to hot winds from North Africa.
Authorities were forced to close the Acropolis and all other archaeological sites in the Greek capital on heightened vigilance against wildfires.
Many schools have also been closed and rescue teams are continuing to search for missing tourists who fell victim to the heat, with an American tourist and a French couple currently at the centre of the search.
Hot weather is set to continue over the next few days, with maximum temperatures reaching a consistent 35°C in Athens, 32°C and 36°C in the popular tourist destinations of Rhodes and Corfu, and reaching 30°C in the Cyclades over the next week.
Holly Evans2024-06-19 09:53
Greek commander says he “doesn’t remember anything like that”
There are growing concerns among Greek emergency services that foreign tourists are not being properly informed about the dangers of hiking in such high temperatures.
“In all my years of experience working in the police and overseeing such operations, I have never seen anything like this,” said one commander on Syros.
“But we must remember that this June was the hottest on record and people decided to go for a hike. We cannot arrest people who decide to go for a walk and we cannot force them to stay indoors. We can only hope that holidaymakers will remain cool in this heat.”
Ambulances and fire engines parked on the coast of the Greek island of Symi (AP)
Holly Evans2024-06-19 08:42
‘Hardworking’ horse trainer discovered on Greek beach
The identity of the American tourist who died in Greece has been revealed.
Toby Sheets, who lived in Floral Park for more than 20 years, was found Sunday on a beach on the Greek island of Matraki, his family told CBS News.
Sheets, 55, was a longtime assistant trainer to North America’s all-time winningest trainer and Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.
“He was a very hard worker and did what he loved, which was training horses,” his father told CBS News, adding that he will be “greatly missed.”
“The New York racing community is saddened by the passing of Toby Sheets, and NYRA extends its condolences to Toby’s family and many friends,” New York Racing Association President Patrick McKenna added.
Bernie Davis2024-06-19 06:02
Brother of missing American ‘stunned’ by lack of aid from US
The brother of Albert Carivet, an American tourist who has been missing on the Greek island of Amorgos for more than a week, says the chances of finding the missing former police officer are extremely slim.
Oliver Carivet, who arrived from California last week to join the search effort, said in a tearful YouTube video that Greece was doing all it could with limited resources but “I don’t understand why the U.S. can’t come here and help. They’re not doing anything.”
He continued, “I am astonished. This is a small island. If the U.S. had made just a little effort, he would have been found days ago.”
In the video, Oliver Carivet disputed the official account of the search and rescue operation: “I haven’t seen a helicopter yet. I’ve seen a drone and some people searching the search trail. But this is the Greek government. I can’t be mad at them. They’re doing what they can. I’m mad at the US. We need help. This US citizen must be brought home.”
Bernie Davis2024年6月19日 05:00
55-year-old American found dead on remote Matraki island
It can only be reached by boat from Agios Stefanos and is very quiet, even in high season.
There are no buses and very few cars on the island, and the most common forms of transport used by locals are boats and motorbikes.
Visitors were invited to explore the island on foot.
There are no campsites on the island, just a few campsites around the harbour.
The only village on Matraki is Chorio, located on the south side of the island.
Matraki has a two kilometre stretch of sandy beach, intermittently shaded by rocks, stretching across the eastern side of the island.
On the west side, a walk passes by the church of Kato Matraki and leads to various beaches.
Tourists have been going missing recently in Greek islands (Philippos Parginos/Wikimedia Commons)
Bernie Davis2024-06-19 03:00
