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Retired academic 'mauled to death by stray dogs' in Greece

'Tragedy': Celia Hollingworth is believed to have been mauled to death by dogs
'Tragedy': Celia Hollingworth is believed to have been mauled to death by dogs

This is the first picture of a British retiree who was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Greece.

The 62-year-old’s body was found on Saturday with markings suggesting she had been savaged by animals, two days after she made a frantic final phone call to her family.

The woman, named locally as Celia Hollingworth, was walking back to her guest house from an archaeological site in Mesimvria, northern Greece, when she called her family to tell them she had been attacked.

Worried relatives then contacted Greek authorities and a search operation was launched.

A source close to the rescue bid was quoted by the Sunday Mirror as saying: "It's an absolute tragedy.

“The victim was a regular visitor to Greece because she loved the people and the culture.

"Everybody involved in the rescue attempt was left deeply shocked by the scene they found when the woman's body was discovered."

The Foreign Office confirmed to the Standard that it was assisting the woman's family.

A spokeswoman said: “We are in contact with Greek Police in relation to a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.

“We are also providing consular assistance to her family.”