Drones search for TV doctor Michael Mosley after he goes missing in Greece

A search and rescue operation is under way in Symi, one of the Dodecanese Islands, for Mosley, known for his appearances on The One Show and This Morning, and fronting of documentaries.

A statement from local police, which has been translated, said they were informed about the “disappearance of the 67-year-old British national on the island” on Wednesday.

It opened an “investigation” to find him and a search is being “carried out by the Fire Brigade with the assistance of forces of the Hellenic Police, Civil Protection (a local and regional coordination agency), volunteers and a police dog, while technical means such as drones are also used to locate the missing person”.

Fire services said they were asked by officers on Thursday at about 11.15am to help the search.

Six firefighters, a vehicle and a drone team were sent from the nearby island of Rhodes to help, arriving in Symi at about 2pm.

His agent confirmed his disappearance to the PA news agency.

A local Facebook group said Mosley went for a walk from Saint Nikolas Beach at about 1.30pm Greek time on Wednesday, but had not returned by Thursday morning.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities.”

A person who lives on the island, who is the friend of an individual whom Mosley was staying with, spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live’s 5 Live Drive programme about the part of the island Mosley was believed to have been walking through.

“It’s a road that sort of heads over the mountain side but it’s been recently widened and there is only one route so it’s not possible to lose your way,” she said.

“Especially once you’ve done it once, you would know how to do it every time.

“But it’s not possible to get lost up there.

“So it is probably a 20-minute walk down the side of the mountain, but it’s not overly rugged or something that would be seen to be too dangerous, it’s something that tourists do every day in the summer.”

“I’m having trouble understanding how you could get lost,” she added.

Mosley is also a columnist for the Daily Mail, and has made a number of films about diet and exercise.

The broadcaster fronted the Channel 4 show Michael Mosley: Who Made Britain Fat? and was part of the BBC series Trust Me, I’m A Doctor.

Trust Me I’m A Doctor star Saleyha Ahsan wrote on social media that the news was “shocking” and that she was hoping Mosley would be “found safe”.

“I literally feel sick with worry,” Ahsan added. “Don’t even know what to say.”

He also lived with tapeworms in his gut for six weeks for the documentary Infested! Living With Parasites on BBC Four.

Mosley received an Emmy nod for BBC science documentary The Human Face, presented by John Cleese and featuring a raft of human faces, including Elizabeth Hurley, Pierce Brosnan and Sir David Attenborough.

He also advocated intermittent fasting through the 5:2 diet and The Fast 800 diet.

Radio 2 presenter and Channel 5 talk show host Jeremy Vine wrote in a social media post: “I’m praying this lovely man is found and thinking of Claire and the whole Mosley family.”

Mosley has four children with his wife Clare Bailey Mosley, also a doctor, author and health columnist, who wrote the recipe book Fast 800 Easy.

The couple, who have hosted theatre show tours together, recently attended the Hay Festival, where Mosley presented a special edition of his Radio 4 series and podcast Just One Thing.