UK tourists in Greece fume 'we weren't warned' after 'unsafe' change

UK tourists have voiced their disapproval after a 45C heatwave in Greece - with "no warnings". UK tourists staying in Symi, where ITV, Channel 4 and BBC doctor Dr Michael Mosley died, say they have been given no warnings about keeping safe amid the skyrocketing temperatures.

Harvey McIntosh, from Plymouth, aged 27, told the Express: “We had heard of the stories in the news but were not explicitly warned of any current danger, but we were simply walking around the main town.

“The temperature was about 32 degrees. And the heat was quite stifling as there was no or very little breeze. However, it was no hotter than Rhodes which we had come from. The centre of town was very busy as there were many people day tripping from Rhodes.”

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The mayor was among the first to find Mosley. “What we had all hoped for was to find him alive,” he said. “It’s very sad, very hard, but could you imagine if we hadn’t found him, if he had remained missing and his family had not been able to take him back home?” he asked. “In that sense, yes, I’m relieved.”

“And we had drones and divers and a [sniffer] dog too,” said the mayor, who was first elected 22 years ago. “My phone hasn’t stopped ringing, the British ambassador has called, TV stations have called, English rescue workers have called and I’ve spoken to ministers in Athens. I usually deal with everyday problems, roads and lights, not this sort of thing.”

“Our island is not the sort of place where people go missing,” said Captain Giorgos, whose colourful fishing boat is a water taxi in the summer months. “They looked for him everywhere,” he said. “Of course we’re shocked. It’s been very unpleasant and not just for us, for his family I’m sure.”

“You just don’t ever hear about people disappearing on Symi and then being found dead,” said another local to the Guardian newspaper. “I can only think of one incident when, again, an older Englishman disappeared, but apparently he had dementia and was found alive, a few hours later, that same day.”