Witnesses claim they saw missing Michael Mosley after coastal walk in huge development

Witnesses have claimed they saw TV's Dr Michael Mosley after his coastal walk as helicopters, dogs, and drones join the hunt for the missing father of four.

BBC presenter Dr Mosley went missing on Wednesday while on a coastal walk along Agios Nikolaos beach on the island of Symi near Rhodes, sparking a huge search operation. A senior Greek official said that "no stone will be left unturned".

The official told The Sun: "Since this morning we have had all available forces out there on the island and we have asked to bring in specially trained dogs and even a helicopter from Athens for back up too. No stone will be left unturned. Symi is a small island, he can’t just have disappeared."

The island's mayor Lefteris Papakalodoukas told Greek media that some witnesses claimed they spotted him in town speaking to another person after his walk.

The mayor claimed some said they saw him talking to a woman after leaving the beach, but others say they saw him talking to a man in Pedi, a 15 minute walk away.

He told Live News: "The whole island is in turmoil. The volunteers of the island and the services are out looking to find him. The information we have says that he returned from the beach of Agios Nikolaos, walked the footpath which is 10-15 minutes and arrived at Pedi, which is a residential area."

He added: "It is not easy for a person to go missing in Symi. I think if something had happened, since last night when they were searching and scouring Pedi, we would have found some trace.

“The beach is accessible on foot, there is no elevation. I am almost certain that nothing has happened, the man must have gone somewhere. Unless they say they saw him in Pedi, when they didn't."

"All of these are testimonies that are being investigated at the moment. The mobilisation of the police and the fire brigade is great and we hope that the man is found quickly and that he is in good health."

Dr Mosley went missing on Wednesday while walking to Pedi from the beach, typically a 20-minute walk, when he realised he'd lost his phone. His wife Dr Clare Bailey then informed local authorities by 7.30pm and they started searching the area.

The police's current theories are that he fell from a height or passed out in the 37C heat, but have said they are considering all possibilities.

A local told BBC Radio 5 Live's 5 Live Drive programme said: "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.

"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.”

The search so far has been in the area between Agios Nikolaos beach and the area of Pedi where he was staying with his wife.

Senior Police Spokesman Constantina Dimoglidou said: "He was at the beach of Ag. Nikolas with another couple when he decided to go back to his home in the area of Pedi of Symi.

"It was around 1.30 pm and he forgot his phone at the beach. Any and every attempt to track him down has not produced any result.

"We have now asked the fire brigade to assist in the operation in the case that he may have slipped, tripped, fallen, even bitten by a snake, remaining injured somewhere.

"There is just no trace of him. None whatsoever and that means that for us at least, every potential scenario is open and being investigated."