World

Second American reported missing from Greek islands, authorities say

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on June 15, 2024

(GREECE) — Greek officials are looking for an American tourist who went missing this week while they were visiting an island off the coast, just days after another U.S. tourist went missing while vacationing nearby.

The unidentified missing man was last seen Tuesday at a tavern in Mathraki, located west of Corfu Island, where he was staying with a Greek American friend, investigators told ABC News.

The friend called the police after he returned home Thursday and found the door of the house open, the lights on, the air conditioning unit on, but the missing American’s ID and travel documents gone, along with the man himself, according to investigators.

Mathraki has no police station or coast guard so officers from Corfu had to be called in to assist with the investigation.

Mathraki only has 40-50 permanent residents in the winter, and many Greek Americans spend their summers there, according local officials.

Search and rescue teams were in the water Thursday but paused their operations Friday due to rough weather, officials said. The search is planned to continue Saturday.

The unidentified man’s disappearance happened the same week that another American tourist was reported missing while visiting a Greek island.

Albert Calibet, 59, a former Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department deputy, failed to return from a hike on the island of Amorgos Tuesday.

Calibet, who m friend said had experience hiking in the area, reportedly began his hike at 7 a.m. local time on Tuesday and was last seen at 11 a.m. by walkers he met with on a trail, according to Greece’s national Hellenic Police.

Greece is experiencing a heat wave this week, during which temperatures have soared to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.