Heartbreak as Michael Mosley ‘nearly made it’ to safety after taking wrong turn on 2-hour walk in blazing sun
DR Michael Mosley “nearly made it” to safety after taking a wrong turn which sent him trekking in the blazing sun.
CCTV video captured the British TV doctor achingly close to safety before he appears to sink to the ground in the spot his body was found today.
Dr Mosley’s wife, Clare Bailey, today confirmed his death several hours after his body was found after an “unbearable” five-day search.
His wife described how he “nearly made it” after he appears to have taken a “wrong turn”.
The health guru, 67, was tragically discovered just 100 metres from the shoreline and beach resort at the bottom of a rocky mountain, but was not on a designated pathway.
The unreleased footage seen by The Sun captures Dr Mosley on the move at 3.44pm – two hours and 15 minutes after he left his wife at St Nikolas Beach.
His last known sighting was in Pedi at around 2pm, meaning he was up in the mountainous terrain for around an hour and 45 minutes.
The walk from Pedi to Agia Marina – which can only be accessed by water taxi or foot – can usually take between 30 to 40 minutes, raising fears he may have got lost.
In the grainy clip, he is seen coming down, making his way towards the wall and barbed wire fence before suddenly going down.
It isn’t clear whether he fell or sat down under the baking-hot sun.
Adding to the tragedy, a customer can be seen in the restaurant area of the nearby beach bar but they do not seem to notice Dr Mosley’s presence.
And it is understood the CCTV of him walking down the mountainous route was looked at by searchers but they failed to spot him in it.
It comes as….
- Dr Michael Mosley’s wife Clare Bailey confirmed the TV star had been found dead on the Greek island of Symi
- His remains were discovered by a barman behind a fence in the Agia Marina area
- The BBC star is believed to have taken a wrong turn while on a walk and ended up on a long mountainous trek
- Dr Mosley vanished on Wednesday while on holiday with pals and his wife Clare
- He was last seen on CCTV in the village of Pedi
- His children Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine had flown out to Symi to join the search
- This Morning stars led celeb tributes to the popular health guru
Mystery had surrounded Dr Mosley’s vanishing after the BBC star waved goodbye to Clare and two close friends to go for a walk at 1.30pm on Wednesday.
He is believed to have been heading back to their holiday accommodation in Symi town when he took a wrong turn while leaving the village of Pedi.
Dr Mosley then is understood to have headed northeast – ending up on a long and hard trek in rocky, difficult and barren landscape beneath a scorching sun.
The TV star did not have his phone with him – having left it at the group’s accommodation.
And all he had with him was an umbrella, his watch, his rucksack, a bottle of water, and his wallet.
Michael managed to reach the Agia Marina.
But tragically, just a few dozen metres from safety he collapsed behind a bar near a fence.
For five days, the health expert seemingly disappeared without a trace, prompting a major search operation involving helicopters, divers, dogs, and drones.
Family members flew to the island and rescuers tried to piece together what happened to him.
They faced increasingly unforgiving conditions – with temperatures so hot the jagged rocks even burned search dog’s paws.
Dr Mosley’s body remained undiscovered until Sunday morning when a barman made the heartbreaking find.
It brought a devastating end to a search that had mobilised the tiny island of 2,600 people.
In a moving statement, Clare thanked all those who had helped search for her “wonderful” husband – who was also beloved by his fans.
She said: “I don’t know quite where to begin with this. It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband.
“We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together. I am incredibly proud of our children, their resilience and support over the past days.
“My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world.
“It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you.
“We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it. He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team.
“Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special. We are so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi who have worked tirelessly to help find him.
“Some of these people on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked. We’re also very grateful to The Press who have dealt with us with great respect.”
“I feel so lucky to have our children and my amazing friends. Most of all, I feel so lucky to have had this life with Michael.”
Timeline of Dr Mosley's disappearance
WEDNESDAY JUNE 5
- 1.30pm: Dr Mosley decides to walk home alone to his holiday home in the town of Symi after going for a swim at a beach
- 1.50pm: The walk home is said to take around 20 minutes from Saint Nikolaos beach despite the doctor never making it back
- 1.52pm: CCTV catches Dr Mosley walking past a shop in Pedi
- Approx 2.20pm: Witnesses claim to have seen Dr Mosley talking to an elderly man in the town with one other person present
- 2.30pm-5pm: Doc was last seen on a house camera on a treacherous path heading towards the Agia Marina
- 7.30pm: Dr Mosley’s wife, Dr Clare Bailey, raises the alarm and calls cops
THURSDAY JUNE 6
- 10.30am: Police file missing person report and the search gets underway
- 11am: Police appeal for any information
- 2pm: Six firefighters, a vehicle and a drone team were all seen arriving in Symi from Rhodes
- 7pm: Helicopters deployed over the island
- 8pm: First day of the search called off for the night
FRIDAY JUNE 7
- 7am Extra police squadrons, coast guard officials, specially-trained sniffer dogs and military helicopters helped in the search
- 5pm The first CCTV images are released of Dr Mosley with his umbrella near the Blue Corner bar
SATURDAY JUNE 8
- 7am Police launch a search of a new area of around 7km as they step up the hunt
- 10.50am: New CCTV is released showing Mosley leaving Pedi and heading towards mountainous path
- 11am Symi’s mayor says ‘no chance’ search will be called off until he is found
- 12pm Mosley’s wife Clare says the family will ‘not lose hope‘ but confesses the last few days have been ‘unbearable’
- 3pm A helicopter joins the search effort in the mountains
SUNDAY JUNE 9
- 10.50am Body found in the search close to caves known as ‘The Abyss’
- 11am Police say they believe the body to be that of Dr Mosley
- 2.50pm Body removed by boat from Symi
- 3.30pm Dr Clare Bailey confirms her ‘wonderful’ husband’s death
Police are understood to have identified Dr Mosley’s remains using his clothes and watch.
He was discovered close to a dangerous cave complex known to locals as “The Abyss”.
Police spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglou said: “How long he had survived there is hard to tell but he had walked a very long way.
“He was close to where he wanted to get to.”
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Brit presenter, known for his appearances on The One Show and This Morning, had been last seen in CCTV footage at 2pm on Wednesday leaving the village of Pedi and headed towards a rocky path.
The mayor of Symi, Eleftherios Papakalodouk added: “We analysed the recorded evidence and it was obvious that it was, unfortunately, Mosley.”
The mayor said he was on a boat when he spotted a body lying 20m above the Agia Marina beach and called a nearby bar to have a look.
“We zoomed with the cameras and saw it was him,” he said.
Ilias Tsavaris, 38, the bar manager, who first saw the body, told The Sun: “I walked up 30 metres and I saw an image of a person, I said is that…I went closer and closer.
“I called the owners, him and the other guy, and they called the police.”
He continued: “He came from Pedi okay, and he didn’t come to the restaurant, if he had walked through there [the bar] we would have checked the cameras.”
Ilias added: “Rescuers had searched that area everyday with helicopters.”
His body was removed at 2.50pm, several hours after he was originally found after officials and firefighters had examined the scene.
They were seen looking into a rucksack near the body before it was taken away and sent on a boat believed to be headed for Rhodes.
Mayor Papakalodoukas told Sky News there were no signs of injury on the body.
The search originally focused on the area between Saint Nikolas and Pedi – with rescuers fearing he may have had a fall.
But when two pieces of key CCTV showed Dr Mosley with his umbrella walking briskly through Pedi – the search area changed.
Now instead of the short and well-trodden bath on the southside of the Ormos Pedi bay, it was focused on the march harsher area towards the north.
The Sun attempted to walk some of the landscape on Saturday – but found the terrain tough.
The path is not well-signposted and almost mountainous – and was especially hard-going in scorching temperatures of over 35C.
Police worked around-the-clock to comb through the barren land as they search for Dr Mosley.
But one rescue worker described his apparent decision to walk up into the mountains in the blazing heat was “inexplicable”.
“The path is not easy to follow. If he took a wrong turn, he would be lost.
“He could be anywhere.”