A London scientist who went missing on a Greek holiday island may have been crushed by large rocks after she fell into a ravine, it has been claimed.
The body of Dr Natalie Christopher, 34, was found in 65ft deep ravine near where she was staying on the Aegean island of Ikaria, police said on Wednesday.
Local television station Skai TV reported on Wednesday night that that she had been found “lying on her back, crushed by several large rocks”.
Despite these reports, the cause of her death was not immediately clear and a post-mortem was scheduled for Thursday.
Dr Christopher was reported missing on Monday by her Cypriot partner after she went for a morning run.
Rescuers told Greece's state ERT TV that Ms Christopher appeared to have slipped and suffered fatal injuries while rock climbing.
Police, firefighters, volunteers and the coastguard scoured the area where Ms Christopher had been, which has paths along ravines and steep seaside cliffs.
A specialised police unit with geolocation equipment was sent to the island to help the search.
Cypriot authorities said they were in close contact with Greek search crews and the missing woman's family.
"I express the sincere condolences of the Cypriot state and of myself to the family and friends of Natalie Christopher," Cypriot Justice and Public Order Minister George Savvides said.
Dr Christopher, a renowned astrophysicist, has conducted research at the European University Cyprus in the Astrophysics and High Performance Computing group.
She also launched the "Cyprus Girls Can" campaign to encourage women and girls of all ages to get more involved in sport.
She moved to Nicosia on Cyprus from London around 11 years ago.
