A British hiker has been found dead in a gorge in north-western Greece after a three-day search operation.
A pilot flying one of two helicopters brought in to help the search discovered the body of Robert Frome, 26, on the slopes of a ravine in the Pindus mountain range. Police said an operation was under way on Thursday to remove his body from steep and rocky terrain.
“He has been found dead unfortunately,” Theodoros Chronopoulos, a police spokesman, said. “It appears that he slipped and fell, but we still don’t know that for certain.”
Frome, who had been travelling solo, was reported missing by his father on Sunday after they lost contact.
Police found his rented car parked close to Mikro Papigo, one of a network of villages known as the Zagorochoria, at 8pm on Monday. It was late on Wednesday when the emergency rescue services, backed up by tracker dogs and volunteers with knowledge of the local terrain, located him.
He had been seen last in the mountain town of Konitsa near the Albanian border, famed for its monastery where he had rented accommodation.
“His body was spotted by the pilot from afar on a cliff face close to the Astraka refuge on Mount Tymfi,” said Vasillis Varthakoyiannis, a fire brigade spokesman. “It’s totally inaccessible, which means that a Greek navy combat helicopter carrying one of our rescuers will have to remove him. They have tried once today without success.”
The Pindus range is popular with hikers and climbers, and the Vikos gorge attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year.
Authorities in Ioannina, the capital of Epirus region, described the search as one of the biggest of its kind. “In intensity and breadth I cannot remember an operation like this,” said Emelia Goulas, a local police spokeswoman.
Frome’s mobile was off, which made the search harder still. “If it was on we’d have had satellite support to help pinpoint his location,” she said.
It is the second time in as many months that a missing British holidaymaker has prompted a major search operation in Greece.
Natalie Christopher, 35, an astrophysicist and extreme sports enthusiast, failed to return from a morning jog on the Aegean island of Ikaria in August. Her body was later found in a isolated ravine.
