British
hiker Robert Frome found dead in north-west Greece
Helicopter
pilot finds trekker’s body in Pindus mountains after three-day search
operation
Helena
Smith in Athens
Thu 12
Sep 2019 13.13 BST
The
Guardian Topics Greece
The
Pindus mountains near Greece’s border with Albania are popular with hikers and
climbers. Photograph: Alamy
The Pindus mountains near Greece’s border
with Albania are popular with hikers and climbers. Photograph: Alamy
A British hiker has been found dead in a
gorge in north-western Greece after a three-day search operation.
A pilot flying one of two helicopters
brought in to help the search discovered the body of Robert Frome, 26, on the
slopes of a ravine in the Pindus mountain range. Police said an operation was
under way on Thursday to remove his body from steep and rocky terrain.
“He has been found dead unfortunately,”
Theodoros Chronopoulos, a police spokesman, said. “It appears that he slipped
and fell, but we still don’t know that for certain.”
Frome, who had been travelling solo, was
reported missing by his father on Sunday after they lost contact.
Police found his rented car parked close
to Mikro Papigo, one of a network of villages known as the Zagorochoria, at 8pm
on Monday. It was late on Wednesday when the emergency rescue services, backed
up by tracker dogs and volunteers with knowledge of the local terrain, located
him.
He had been seen last in the mountain town
of Konitsa near the Albanian border, famed for its monastery where he had
rented accommodation.
“His body was spotted by the pilot from
afar on a cliff face close to the Astraka refuge on Mount Tymfi,” said Vasillis
Varthakoyiannis, a fire brigade spokesman. “It’s totally inaccessible, which
means that a Greek navy combat helicopter carrying one of our rescuers will
have to remove him. They have tried once today without success.”
The Pindus range is popular with hikers
and climbers, and the Vikos gorge attracts tens of thousands of visitors a
year.
Authorities in Ioannina, the capital of
Epirus region, described the search as one of the biggest of its kind. “In
intensity and breadth I cannot remember an operation like this,” said Emelia
Goulas, a local police spokeswoman.
Frome’s mobile was off, which made the search
harder still. “If it was on we’d have had satellite support to help pinpoint
his location,” she said.
It is the second time in as many months
that a missing British holidaymaker has prompted a major search operation in
Greece.
Natalie
Christopher, 35, an astrophysicist and extreme sports enthusiast, failed to
return from a morning jog on the Aegean island of Ikaria in August. Her body
was later found in a isolated ravine.
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We deeply saddened of the loss of the British visitor.
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We deeply saddened of the loss of the British visitor.
May God give him eternal rest and the family the strength to bear the great pain.
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