A German hiker has been found dead on the island of Crete, the fire department said – the latest tourist fatality during a period of unseasonably high temperatures in Greece.
The man had been declared missing on Sunday and was found near a ravine in the south of the island, the fire department said in a statement.
Athens News Agency, Greece’s state news agency, said the area where the 68-year-old was found was so inaccessible that it could not be reached by helicopter and the body had to be moved by rescuers on foot.
It was the sixth fatality this month among foreign visitors to Crete and other popular Greek island destinations, following the death of BBC TV presenter Michael Mosley, whose body was found on the island of Symi on 9 June.
An 80-year-old Belgian man was found dead near the ancient city of Lato in eastern Crete a few days later, followed by a 55-year-old Dutch man who was found dead in his car on the edge of a cliff in the island’s south-east on 19 June, according to ERT, the Greek state broadcaster.
A 74-year-old Dutch man was found dead on the island of Samos on 15 June, followed by a 55-year-old American man near the island of Corfu the following day.
In addition, two French women aged 73 and 64 have been missing on the island of Sikinos for more than a week, while a 59-year-old American man visiting the island of Amorgos remains unaccounted for since 11 June.
Greece’s public health authorities this month issued warnings about the risk of heat exposure, advising against staying outdoors during the hottest hours of the day.
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Between 11 and 13 June, Greece experienced its earliest summer heatwave on record, with temperatures exceeding 40C (104F) in many areas.
Temperatures of near 40C were recorded in various parts of the country last week.