A British grandmother has been found dead more than a fortnight after she went missing on a tiny Greek island, her family has said.
Susan Hart, a 74-year-old from Bath, and her husband Ed – both of whom are keen rock climbers – are reported to have been visiting the popular climbing destination Kalymnos for eight years, and in April returned for the first time since the pandemic.
Three weeks ago, on Sunday 30 April, the couple took a 10-minute ferry to neighbouring Telendos, an island not even two square miles in size, with only a tiny port and no road network.
Mr Hart and a friend decided to go climbing but Mrs Hart stayed behind to read a book and they agreed she would wait for them at a restaurant in the port, her daughter Bethan Blackwell told the Mirror.
But when he returned, there was no sign of his wife, and upon asking in the restaurant they were told she had not dined there and nobody could recall seeing her.
A search was launched, helped by volunteers, the coastguard and search and rescue dogs. Ms Blackwell and her two sisters, Ella, 43, from London, and Ruth Landale, 45, who reportedly flew from Australia.
Ms Landale has now told the BBC that Ms Hart’s body has been found and was identified by her stepfather.
The family is now waiting for her body to be repatriated to Switzerland, where Ms Landale – a former World Health Organisation employee – had been living, with a post-mortem examination expected to be carried out in Greece.
Ms Landale said that her mother had been showing symptoms of dementia in the past few years, but had not yet received a formal diagnosis.
“It’s been a stressful and distressing time for the whole family,” she told the broadcaster.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are providing consular assistance to the family of a British woman who has been reported missing in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.”
