A Dutch tourist who went missing on the Aegean island of Samos has been found dead, Greek police said on Thursday, the latest holidaymaker fatality in an especially sweltering summer.
An autopsy conducted at the remote part of the island where the body was discovered confirmed the women’s identity as Brigitte van Gennip, 65, who police said had been declared missing since August 22.
The police said it was a Belgian tourist who chanced upon the body on Wednesday, in a ravine far from where her mobile phone was last detected.
No evidence for the moment points to criminal action, according to the police.
Dutch authorities had sent teams of rescuers with eight dogs to Samos to help their Greek counterparts find the woman.
At least seven foreign visitors to popular Greek island destinations have died this summer, amid higher temperatures than usual.
On June 9, the body of BBC presenter Michael Mosley was discovered on the island of Symi as the country faced its earliest-ever heatwave, with the mercury topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
The body of another Dutch citizen of 74 had already been found on Samos on June 15, followed by a 55-year-old American man on the island of Corfu the following day.
Two Frenchwomen, aged 73 and 64, also disappeared on the island of Sikinos.
The Greek health authorities have repeatedly issued warnings about the risk of exposure to the heat, advising against staying outdoors during the hottest hours of the day.
Scientists have long warned that man-made climate change driven by burning fossil fuels is making periods of extreme heat more likely and more intense.
Source: AFP
