Michael Mosley lay undiscovered for five days, CCTV showsDr Michael Mosley’s body lay undiscovered just yards from a beach resort for nearly five days, it emerged on Sunday, as his wife said he “so very nearly made it” to safety.
The broadcaster and author was found dead on Sunday morning after his disappearance while walking on the Greek island of Symi last Wednesday caused a major search and rescue operation.
CCTV footage shows Dr Mosley gingerly walking down a rocky mountain near the perimeter fence of the Agia Marina resort before he appears to stumble and fall out of view, just over two hours after he left his wife and friends.
His wife, Dr Clare Bailey Mosley, paid tribute to her “wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband”.
She said: “We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it. He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team.”
The local coroner said an initial examination had ruled out foul play as there were “no obvious injuries” to Dr Mosley’s body, adding: “It looks like it was a fall.”
A spokesperson for the coroner said they would need to establish whether he had a “medical episode” which would take some time.
A police source said they had ruled out any possibility of criminality but that it was currently impossible to determine the cause of the death.
Newly unearthed footage, captured by the Agia Marina bar’s security cameras at 3.44pm on Wednesday, suggests that Dr Mosley had made it over the mountain but was struggling to pick his way back to safety when he fell.
Dr Mosley stumbled out of view as he headed down towards the sea but did not appear to get up again. He was just a stone’s throw from the throngs of tourists relaxing on sun loungers on the other side of the chain link fence.
A customer could be seen walking past the bar’s nearby kiosk who could potentially have heard any shout for help.
Dr Mosley’s body was found after the mayor, Eleftherios Papakaloudoukas, and a TV crew on a boat spotted “something black” near to the fence at about 10.30am local time on Sunday morning.
Mr Papakaloudoukas called the bar manager, Ilias Tsavaris, and asked him to go and have a look.
Mr Tsavaris, who was accompanied by British journalists from organisations including the Telegraph, immediately saw the “glint from a watch” and a body.
He alerted the police who were at the scene 20 minutes later and Dr Mosley’s body was eventually removed on a stretcher after the coroner had arrived from Rhodes.