Another tourist dies in Greece, others missing, heatwave claims more and more victims

ATHENS (Reuters) – A 55-year-old American man was found dead on the Greek island of Mathraki, police said on Monday, the third death of a tourist in a week following a period of unusually hot weather.

Earlier this month, just as the holiday season began on Greece’s remote beaches, ancient sites and mountain trails, temperatures rose above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

The early heatwave was accompanied by a number of missing and deceased tourists in the Mediterranean country, highlighting the dangers of heat stress.

“There is a common pattern – they all went hiking in high temperatures,” Petros Vassilakis, police spokesman for the South Aegean, told Reuters.

The body of British television presenter Michael Mosley was found on the island of Symi on June 9 after a four-day search using planes, drones and boats. Before he disappeared, he had been taking a walk alone in high temperatures.

Police did not disclose the identity of the dead American whose body was found near a beach on Mathraki on Sunday. He was transferred to the island of Corfu where an autopsy will be performed, a police official told Reuters.

A 74-year-old Dutch tourist was found dead on the island of Samos on Saturday and two hikers were found dead on Crete on June 5.

Rescue teams were also searching for two French women aged 73 and 64 on the island of Sikinos and a 59-year-old US police officer on Amorgos.

“Two search operations are currently underway on other islands. Police, firefighters and volunteers have been deployed, supported by a drone and a rescue dog,” said Vassilakis.

(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas and Renee Maltezou; Editing by Edward McAllister and Sharon Singleton)