Authorities on the Aegean island of Tilos launched an emergency search-and-rescue operation to find a 77-year-old British man missing since last Thursday. Island authorities have enlisted the aid of the army, police and local volunteers in the search, while a Super-Puma all-weather helicopter is conducting sweeps of the island since midday.
The elderly man arrived on Tilos last Wednesday for a brief holiday and intended to stay on the island until Sunday. He had booked a room where he stayed until Thursday, which was the last time he was seen by the hotel staff. They started to suspect that something was wrong when they realised that the 77-year-old had not returned to sleep in his room on two consecutive mornings.
The hotel contacted the travel agency that had booked his room, as well as his daughter, a resident of the island of Rhodes and the Tilos Mayor Maria Kamma, who requested the assistance of a nearby military base to request his assistance. The search was launched but so far yielded no result, while the assistance of a helicopter was requested on Monday to search the more inaccessible spots on the island. The missing man's relatives are also on the island, waiting anxiously for news from the search. (AMNA)