Michael Mosley: TV presenter missing on Greek island of Symi

TV presenter Michael Mosley, known for popularizing the 5:2 diet, has disappeared while on holiday on the Greek island of Symi.

A search and rescue operation is underway, including a police dog and drone searching hard-to-reach areas.

A helicopter deployed from Athens has now arrived on the island to support the efforts.

Greek police said Mr Mosley left his wife on the beach and went for a walk to the center of the island on Wednesday.

His phone was found in the place where he was staying with his wife, who reported him missing, a police spokesperson told BBC News.

The 67-year-old broadcaster is well known for programs such as BBC series Trust Me, I'm A Doctor and appearances on BBC's The One Show and ITV's This Morning.

After officers on the island were unable to find Mr Mosley, they requested help from Greek firefighters in Athens. Firefighters arrived in Symi from nearby Rhodes on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. local time (12:00 p.m. BST).

Firefighters, volunteers and police are searching for him alongside a police dog, while a drone has also been deployed to assist in the search.

Officers are also searching CCTV footage for any signs of Mr Mosley.

The rescue operation is focusing on the Pedi area of ​​Symi after a woman saw him there on Wednesday, the island's deputy mayor, Ilias Chaskas, told BBC News.

He said the area is considered dangerous, but noted the woman had seen Mr Mosley on the road in a safer area of ​​Pedi.

The island's mayor, Eleftherios Papakalodoukas, said firefighters who carried out the search told him it was “impossible” that Mr Mosley was still there.

“It's a very small controlled area, full of people. So if something happened to him there, we would have found him by now,” he told BBC News.

Mr Papakalodoukas said he thought it was likely Mr Mosley “had gone another way” or fallen into the sea.

An appeal reporting his disappearance was posted on a local Facebook group on Wednesday, alongside a photo of Mr Mosley wearing a blue cap, polo shirt and shorts.

“Have you seen this man?” He left to return from [Agios Nikolaos beach] around 1:30 p.m. and failed to return home,” he said.

It was extremely hot in Symi on Wednesday, with the Athens National Observatory reporting temperatures reaching over 40°C (104°F) at 3:00 p.m. local time.

Local residents said they were trying to understand why someone would leave the beach on foot and hike – without their phone to navigate – in such harsh conditions, rather than take the boat home.