Update in search for Michael Mosley as focus of operation moves to 'very dangerous' area

The search operation looking for TV doctor Michael Mosley has been moved to a 'very dangerous' area of the Greek island where he went missing. The focus has been switched to an area known locally as 'The Abyss'.

Manolis Tsimpoukas, who organises searches for missing people on the Dodecanese Islands, said there has been so far been no signs of the missing doctor, who is best known for his roles on The One Show and This Morning.

The 67-year-old vanished whilst he was out on a walk on Wednesday in Symi, Greece, The Mirror reports. His wife Dr Clare Bailey reported him missing to police after he failed to return home after six hours.

Dr Michael Mosley missing: Live updates as wife releases statement on fourth day of search

She described the ordeal as the “longest and most unbearable days” for her and their four children. The rescue operation, which initially began by Pedi Bay, is now focusing its search close to the "bottomless" network of tunnels near Agia Marina.

Authorities fear that the father of four could have made a "wrong turn". This morning, emergency teams began looking over a 6.5km radius, over a mountainous area that is surrounded by sea. Locals warned that the area, known as 'The Abyss', is not safe and stressed anyone can drown in the tunnels.

A waiter who works nearby said the "deep system of tunnels" is full of water. "If there is a hole and you fall, you lose your sense of balance and drown there," They told The Telegraph. "There is a reason they call it 'The ‘Abyss. There is something very strange going on.”

According to reports, Dr Mosley was said to have been feeling unwell before he went for a stroll on the island. The latest available CCTV appears to show the doctor walking with an umbrella near to the marina in the village of Pedi in Symi. Earlier footage from a property at the edge of Pedi’s small marina showed the health guru strolling towards a mountainous path at about 2pm local time on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Missing Michael Mosley’s wife said she vowed to carry on searching for the 67-year-old, declaring: “We will not lose hope.” Dr Clare Bailey, 62, spoke for the first time about her TV doctor husband’s disappearance on the Greek island Symi.

She said: “It has been three days since Michael left the beach to go for a walk. The longest and most unbearable days for myself and my children. The search is ongoing and our family are so incredibly grateful to the people of Symi, the Greek authorities and the British Consulate who are working tirelessly to help find Michael.”

The couple’s four adult children – Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine – retraced their father’s last-known steps. They were thought to be among a small group, including some of their friends, searching a two-mile trail between Pedi and Agia Marina.

Manolis Tsiboukas, coordinator of civil alert in Greece, said: “They are stressing so much for their father. They want to find him as soon as possible.”

The island’s mayor, Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas, said: “We know he came through Pedi and then walked towards Agia Marina. It is about two miles and a harder walk than from St Nikolas. If he did try and walk that way to Symi, then that is a big mistake. There are also many troubling questions here.

Why did he leave the beach and his wife and friends? Why did he not take his telephone? From the CCTV footage, it’s also clear he didn’t stop for a drink in Pedi or take a rest. He seemed to be walking very determinedly. Surely it would have been better to stop and have a coffee or some water but, no, he decided to carry on.”

A helicopter, police officers and other rescuers, including Red Cross volunteers who had travelled from the neighbouring island of Kos, yesterday joined in the hunt. One group just finishing a three-hour shift described the heat as almost unbearable. The mayor said sniffer dogs brought in from Athens were also struggling in the extreme temperatures – with one exhausted after just an hour. But he vowed the search would go on and said a thermal-imaging helicopter would arrive soon.

He added: “We are searching an area of around 6.5km in the mountains. There are only rocks, no shade, no trees. With 47C heat, you can’t survive.” British tourists have also joined the operation. Two of them, Jan Brownsort, 68, and pal Sue, 70, said: “We did the walk from Symi town. We knew the area because we had just walked it so when we heard, we thought, ‘Let’s go and do the walk again and look’. We could see the area they were searching from where we’re staying.”

Officials have considered a number of theories, including that Dr Mosley may have fallen off a cliff or been bitten by a snake. CCTV footage shows a man said to be him walking with a purple umbrella, just over a mile from the beach he set off from. He and his wife were staying at a holiday home near Symi, the main port on the island, which is just 25 miles square and has a population of just 2,500.

She raised the alarm after he failed to return at 7.30pm on Wednesday. In the wake of his disappearance, the son of a Welshman who vanished without a trace while walking on a Greek island five years ago urged the Mosleys to keep searching. John Tossell, 78, from Bridgend, went missing after going to visit a monastery on Mount Skopos, Zakynthos.

Son Gary told Sky News: “When I read the story it’s like a cut and paste of my father. I wish nothing but love to the Mosley family as I know exactly what they’re going through. I want to tell them not to give up.” Dr Mosley, who was born in Kolkata, India, used to be an investment banker before studying medicine.

He then joined the BBC as a trainee assistant producer and appeared on The One Show as well as ITV’s This Morning and had just completed a nationwide tour called Eat Well, Sleep Better, Live Longer with his wife. Dr Mosley, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes before managing to reverse it, has been an advocate for intermittent fasting diets, including the 5:2 diet and The Fast 800 diet.

He has sold more than two million books and was also given an Emmy nod for BBC science documentary The Human Face. He also presented Channel 4 show, Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat?