The body of a US tourist has been found on a Greek island while several more are still missing, adding to a growing list of casualties linked to soaring temperatures.
The 55-year-old has not been named yet, but was said to have been last seen in a bar on the island of Mathraki last week, according to the Greek public broadcaster ERT.
His body was reported to have been found in the sea by a beachgoer near the port and has now been transferred to the island of Corfu where an autopsy will be carried out, a police official said.
He had been reported missing Thursday by his host, a Greek-American friend.
The tourist had last been seen Tuesday at a cafe in the company of two female tourists who have since left the island.
Another American, Albert Calibet, 59, was reported missing last Tuesday afternoon by his friends after he failed to return from a hike, according to local officials.
Their disappearances come days after television presenter Michael Mosley was found dead on the Greek island of Symi. He is believed to have died of heat exhaustion after going for a hike in temperatures of more than 40°C.
At least four other Britons are thought to have died this summer because of the extreme temperatures.
“There is a common pattern – they all went for a hike amid high temperatures,” Petros Vassilakis, police spokesman for the Southern Aegean, told Reuters after death of the American on the island of Mathraki.
Meanwhile, a 74-year-old from the Netherlands was found by a fire department drone on Saturday lying face down in a ravine about 300 metres from the spot where he was last observed on the previous Sunday, walking with some difficulty in the blistering heat.
Dimitris Kalatzis, who led the search team in Samos for the missing Dutchman, told Greek media that rescue missions were often made more difficult because foreign tourists go in search of tourist sites, unaware of the dangers of walking in the heat, and get lost.
Two French women aged 73 and 64 have also been reported missing in Sikinos, another Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Searches are underway for another tourist on the Cyclades island of Amorgos.
Speaking about the search in Amorgos, Mr Vassilakis said, “There are two search operations in progress on other islands. Police, firemen and volunteers have been deployed assisted by a drone and a rescue dog.”
The heatwave in Greece and across the Aegean Sea is said to be the earliest on record, and has seen temperatures hit highs of 44°C.
Another Dutch tourist, 67, has also suffered a heart attack in Crete, while a 70-year-old French tourist died in the popular tourist destination.
While temperatures dropped on Monday, the mercury is due to rise once again later this month as winds from North Africa are pushing temperatures up.
Many schools have been forced to close, as have top tourist sites including the ancient Acropolis in Athens.
