They had left their respective hotels to meet up and go for a walk. In Sikinos, a small island in the Cyclades, two French tourists have been missing since Friday June 14 and their departure for a hike. The concern is great for their loved ones. Because for several days, the heat has been radiating across Greece and several deaths of tourists have already been recorded. And the heatwave that is burning the country is no stranger to this.
The mayor of Sikinos, interviewed by a local news channel, said that one of the two tourists had contacted the owner of her accommodation to let him know that she “did not feel well”. She would have even sent a photo to the latter. In the photo, she seemed “to be on the ground”, Vassilis Marakis told the media ANT1, as reported the online information site Cyclades24. The image was even broadcast on Greek television. For the moment, the whereabouts of the two women aged 64 and 73 are unknown. “We don’t even know if the two hikers went for a walk together or separately,” concedes the mayor.
Identity not yet revealed
Major searches are being carried out by the emergency services and two drones were used to comb this island where “not all the paths are listed”, according to the mayor. The identities of the two women have not yet been revealed.
The day the two French women left, Greece was suffocating under an oppressive heat sometimes exceeding 40 degrees. Last week, several archaeological sites in Greece, including the Acropolis of Athens, closed their doors during the hottest hours of the day. The first heat wave of the year saw the thermometer rise to more than 44 degrees locally.
Already several dead tourists
This heatwave has already caused several victims. Three tourists died in one week in the country. Shortly before, British TV star doctor Michael Mosley was also found dead on the island of Symi, in the Aegean Sea while he had gone hiking.