Rescuers hunting for Mail columnist Michael Mosley focused on a treacherous mountain path last night.
After a day of divers, coast guards and fishermen scouring the sea, the search for the famous health writer moved back to land.
Greek police now believe the 67-year-old diet guru took a disastrous wrong turn as he walked back to his friends’ home on the small holiday island of Symi.
One rescuer said the search was becoming a “race against time” as it entered a fourth day.
The mystery of what happened to the father-of-four, known to millions through his newspaper column, TV work and books, deepened yesterday when CCTV footage showed him wandering around a port town after killing his wife, Dr Clare Bailey. and friends had been left behind on a beach.
Images released by police show Dr. Mosley rests an umbrella on his shoulder while dressed in a dark shirt and cap
They have a time stamp of 1.52pm and were taken from the Blue Corner in Pedi, a fishing village about a fifteen minute walk from Sinterklaas and about a quarter of the way along the walk.
A map of the route the doctor is believed to have taken and the last sightings of him
The photo shows the outside of the Blue Corner Cafe, where Dr. Mosley walked past on camera footage
A camera crew can be seen recording in front of the Blue Corner Café in Symi
The search for Dr. Mosley continues with more cops, dogs and drones
Dr. was seen. Mosley dressed in a blue shirt and shorts, with a purple umbrella on his shoulder to protect himself from the sun, as he strolled past a cafe less than half an hour after telling Dr. Bailey said he would walk back to their accommodation.
The confirmed sighting indicated that he had moved away from the coastal path, making it less likely that he had fallen into the water.
Later, after another possible sighting, officers turned their attention to a mountainous strip of land between the port of Pedi and the holiday home where he was staying in the town of Symi.
“It’s the first solid lead we have and the whole weight of the search is now shifting to that area,” a police official said.
“He probably lost his way and ended up on this windy, unknown path that connects the two regions of Pedi and… [Symi town]winding through a steep mountain.’
It comes as the British doctor’s four children flew to Greece to solve the mystery that baffled locals. Dr. Mosley and his wife landed on the 40-square-kilometer island on Tuesday and were going to stay for a week with a couple who have a holiday home there.
The next day the group took a boat taxi to Saint Nicholas Beach. Dr. Mosley went for a swim before setting off along a well-trodden coastal path to Pedi in 37 degree heat at around 1.30pm.
This is the photo of Dr. Mosley who was placed on a call after he went missing while on holiday in Greece on Wednesday
Fire crews use a drone to aid in their search for the TV doctor
Firefighters inspect an area following the search for missing British TV doctor Michael Mosley
A rocky path near Saint Nikolas beach in the Pedi district of Symi, Greece, where a search and rescue operation is underway for Dr. Mosley
Police believe Dr Mosely was walking back along the path to the house where he was staying in Symi Town
Land near the path to St Nikolas Beach, where Dr. Mosley went for a walk
Police understood that he intended to take a bus home from the small port town, but that never worked out.
Officers have retraced his steps, going door to door and speaking to businesses and homes along the road he took.
They managed to find CCTV footage of Dr. Mosley was located at the Kamares Café in Pedi.
Dr. Bailey confirmed it was her husband and officers used the characteristic description to match another sighting at the nearby Blue Corner cafe at 1.52pm.
But the trail ran out and search teams tried to determine if Dr. Mosley could have taken a bus, a boat or continued on foot.
Then officials received a possible sighting that led Dr. Mosley was headed to a treacherous path on the edge of Pedi’s small marina at 2 p.m. and search crews were sent to the area last night.
It appeared that instead of turning off the main road into the town of Symi, he had instead accidentally followed Pedi marina towards the sea before attempting to cross the peninsula via a dangerous, steep route.
“Not even a mountain goat would go there,” a senior police source told the Mail.
One of the rescuers said any decision to follow the trail was “inexplicable.”
She said it would have taken a fit young person three hours to walk to their destination. ‘The path is not easy to follow; if he took a wrong turn he would get lost,” she said, adding, “He could be anywhere. It’s a race against time.’
Dr Mosley’s wife, Dr Clare Bailey (pictured together), a GP and columnist for the Mail, raised the alarm after her husband of almost 40 years failed to return from a walk
Dr. Mosley (pictured) and his wife landed on the 40-square-kilometre island on Tuesday and were due to stay for a week with a couple who have a house in Symi Town
Pedi Beach, where police officers have shown up to continue their search
On June 7, workers arrive to continue the search at Pedi Beach on Symi Island
Firefighters stand up as they participate in searches for Dr. Mosley on June 6
The search was called off at 8pm Greek time as dusk fell and will resume this morning.
Police were looking for more CCTV footage along the marina last night, with some inquiring as far away as Agia Marina – right on the sea. It is feared he may have slipped, tripped, fallen or even been bitten by a snake.
It came when the children of Dr. Mosley – Alexander, Jack, Daniel and Katherine – flew out to retrace his last known steps.
Dr Mosley’s brother Arthur told The Telegraph: ‘We are very shocked and perplexed by what has happened to him.
‘We know as much as what the police and the media have reported, but we are closely monitoring the situation and hoping for a good outcome.
“Unfortunately, these kinds of accidents can happen when you get to my or his age.”
Arthur, who lives in the Cornish village of Flushing, said when he last spoke to his brother he was in ‘good spirits’ and looking forward to his trip to Greece. He added: ‘The family is obviously hoping for a good outcome.’
The local population on Symi is stunned by the disappearance.
“The place is very small,” said Antonis, who has lived on Symi all his life. ‘A small child can’t get lost here. How does a man get lost?’
Firefighters, police, drones and search dogs joined the hunt with Mika Papakalodouka, 20, whose father, Eleftherios, is the mayor of Symi, saying teams were out “all night.”
She added that many residents had participated in the search with their own boats.