A Greek cameraman who discovered a body which is believed to be missing Beaconsfield TV doctor Michael Mosley said he is ‘sorry to be the one to find him’.
The television personality, 67, went missing on Wednesday, June 5 after he visited the island of Symi on a family holiday.
He, and his wife of 37 years, Clare, had been on St Nicholas Beach in the area when he decided to venture on a solo walk at around 1.30pm local time (11.30am British time).
"I'm sorry for the family, I'm sorry that I'm the one to find him. I wish we had better news."
— Sky News (@SkyNews) June 9, 2024
Local cameraman Antonios speaks to Sky's @esadiya, detailing how he spotted the body of TV doctor Michael Mosley on the beach near the fence.
🔗 https://t.co/jazdN0Dp4L
📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/AbzufdXgMy
However, concerns grew when he failed to return to their accommodation that evening.
The authorities were alerted and across four days, search and rescue teams looked across the island with drones, boats, helicopters and dogs all being used.
And on the morning of Sunday, June 9, a body was discovered just near a fence on Agia Marina beach, just a few feet away from the sea.
A local cameraman, Antonios, was emotional when speaking to Sky News following the breakthrough.
He told the news outlet: “All the reporters were sitting at the café bar where we decided to get on a boat and get shots of the sea.
“It was where the rescue team and searchers were going.
“During our trip, we saw something by the sea on the rocks and we thought it was some umbrellas.
"When we went to the beach, I noticed outside of the fence at the end of the beach something black.
The fragility of life is so shocking. I’ve known Michael Mosley for many years - as a tv producer specialising in science and medicine. He was the executive producer of my 2009 series Human Journey. When he started presenting as well as producing, we made several science… pic.twitter.com/spUEVy2ctk
— Prof Alice Roberts💙 (@theAliceRoberts) June 9, 2024
“I wasn't sure so I took a close-up with the camera, as far as it could do and it was about 300 metres away.
“I saw something and I wasn’t sure, so I showed the mayor who was sitting next to me.
“He said ‘okay, when we come back, we will check again’.
"We went a little bit closer, about 200 metres and I took the shot again but through the camera, it was too small.
"So we decided once when we go to the café again, we will play back the footage.
“We took a photo of the screen with an iPhone, we zoomed in and you can clearly see there is a man lying down.
This is a tragic and heartbreaking situation. Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of Dr. Michael Mosley. We hope that they are able to find some comfort and peace during this difficult time.
— داستان | Dastan (@TopDastan) June 9, 2024
“The description is exactly like the guy we were looking for.
"I'm really sorry for the family.
“I'm sorry I'm the one who found him."
“I wish we had better news. Nothing more."
The body has yet to be formally identified.
Following the news, many fans of the celebrity doctor have paid tribute via social media.
Some names include Jamie Oliver, Piers Morgan, Tom Watson and Martin Kemp.
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