Latest news with #LifeLineHellas
Metro
3 days ago
- Metro
Husband of missing woman in Greece said he was 'laughed at' searching for her
The husband of a British woman who has gone missing in Greece said he was laughed at by locals as he desperately searched for his wife. Chris Bourda, 66, woke up from his sun lounger on Ofrynio beach, Kavala, on Friday afternoon to discover his wife Michele, 59, had disappeared. The mum-of-one's belongings were still on her sun bed, but she was nowhere to be found. He told the Daily Mail: 'I quickly ran to the toilet and knocked on the ladies but she wasn't in there. I then ran to the beach to look again in the water. 'I then quickly went back to the waiter to say my wife was missing, have you seen her and he started laughing.' Chris explained to the waiter his wife had 'psychological problems' and needed to call the police. But officers did not arrive at the scene for another two hours, forcing him to continue his search alone. Chris said: 'The police didn't do anything on the day. One guest who was there that day said she didn't see any police and I didn't see any police that day either, not one single policeman at the beach.' The search boat is only being used at night or early in the morning to 'not disturb or concern the tourists'. Chris, a pharmacist, has been left searching for his wife alone, and has gone without sleep to devote all his time trying to find her. He said: 'For days and nights I have gone up down the coast, searched bushes, olive groves, empty houses, building sites, later I went to the hills, nothing. 'I asked the police if they think that she is alive, why don't they use dogs, drones, helicopters and they replied where shall we search? It's a vast area? 'I don't think my wife would have gone to somebody in the car or anything. I really don't. I have tried everywhere but one person alone is very difficult to find something.' Michele suffers from bouts of depression and anxiety, Chris explained, and on one occasion disappeared while they were living in London. But police acted quickly and found her on the night she went missing. The couple, who now live in Glasgow, had decided to visit Greece and seeing Chris's family in Germany and had planned to stay for six weeks. He has since made a complaint to the British Embassy in Athens believing Greek police are not doing enough to help him find his wife. A sports instructor claimed he saw Michele swimming out in deep waters and shouted at her to not go any further. He has since withdrawn his statement to police. More Trending Chris said: 'But even if he was shouting at her 'where are you going, come back' there were other people on the beach and I cannot understand how nobody, not one person, would see her or hear her. 'Surely someone would notice if she went out and didn't come back?' Missing person charity LifeLine Hellas issued a silver alert – typically used for missing adults with dementia or Alzheimer's – saying Michele's 'life is in danger' and asking anyone who had seen her to get in touch. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Map of France wildfires shows where the Aude region is as blaze intensifies MORE: Man found alive a week after going missing while hiking on Norwegian glacier MORE: Europe's oldest neighbourhood orders locals to snitch on tourists: 'Act now before it's too late'
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Michele Ann Joy Bourda's last known steps mapped as mystery over missing Brit deepens
Michele Ann Joy Bourda had been swimming at Ofrynio beach in the city of Kavala at around noon on Friday, August 1, before disappearing as authorities launched a large scale search British authorities and Greek rescue teams are still searching for a missing 59-year-old woman after she vanished from her sunbed while visiting a beach in Greece. Michele Ann Joy Bourda, a British national, disappeared from Ofrynio Beach, located in Kavala in northern Greece, on August 1. The beach, located on the Strymonian Gulf coast, is around 37 miles away from the northern Macedonian city of Serres, where Michele was temporarily living with her Greek husband. She was lounging on a sunbed beside her husband who had fallen asleep when he awoke around midday to find her gone. Her personal belongings - including a beaded two‑piece swimsuit, yellow water shoes, and red (bone-rimmed) sunglasses - remained on the beach. READ MORE: Warning to Brits who risk £2,500 fines in Spain for common holiday mistakes Greek authorities quickly launched a large-scale search operation, deploying the Hellenic Coast Guard along with patrol boats, fishing vessels, and leisure craft to comb both the coastal waters and surrounding land areas. The operation has expanded across the entire Strymonian Gulf, with no signs of Michele. It's still unclear whether she went missing on land or in the sea. Police teams searched the beach and adjacent terrain to no avail. On August 2, LifeLine Hellas, a Greek charity, issued a Silver Alert, typically activated for vulnerable adults, warning the public that Michele's life may be at risk. They urged anyone with information to contact the National SOS Line 1065. The British embassy in Athens confirmed they are supporting Michele's family and local authorities. A local sports instructor reported seeing a woman resembling Michele swimming in deep waters and cautioned her not to go further out. This remains the only confirmed sighting since her disappearance. Michele Bourda, described as 5 feet 6 inches tall with straight blonde shoulder‑length hair and hazel eyes, had lived in Serres, northern Greece, with her husband for some time. Neighbours described her as outdoorsy, and fond of wild swimming and walking. Authorities have not ruled out any scenario - including accidental drowning, disorientation, or foul play. A search focus on coastal areas has shifted over time, though patrols continue. Michele's neighbours maintain hope. One said: "She has always dressed in walking gear with a fleece and boots or a cagoule. She is really into the outdoors." One neighbour told Mail Online: "They've got bikes, and are quite active. They like to go walking, they like to go wild swimming. "They would go, and they would often be away for the whole day in the summer, and then if we saw them coming in and out and they would say, 'oh, we've been somewhere up north and we were swimming'. And I would see her sometimes sit and reading in the garden." Christos, who is Greek, had been sleeping and woke up to find Michele had vanished from the beach. He reportedly warned locals that his wife was "not very well" and had "disappeared before" as he frantically asked for help trying to find her after she vanished from a Greek beach on Friday.
Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
Brit missing in Greece was 'warned not to swim into deep water'
A British woman missing in Greece for four days was warned not to swim out into deep water, it has emerged. Michele Bourda was last seen on a sunbed on Ofrynio beach in Kavala on Friday, but when her husband on the lounger next to hers woke up from a nap he realised she was missing. Her clothes and bag were still on the sunbed, and both police and the coast guard have been searching for her since. Missing person charity LifeLine Hellas issued a silver alert – typically used for missing adults with dementia or Alzheimer's – saying Michele's 'life is in danger' and asking anyone who had seen her to get in touch. The coast guard said the Brit, whose husband is believed to be a Greek national, had been 'residing temporarily' in Serres, northern Greece. A witness has now said Michele was swimming at around noon on Friday before she disappeared. A summer sports instructor told LBC he had spoken to someone matching Michele's description that afternoon. He said she was swimming in deep water, and urged her not to swim out any further. The search has continued into Tuesday, with a spokesperson for the Hellenic coast guard telling The Sun that the search has expanded to cover a wider area. They added: 'Patrol boats are now focused on the entire Strymonian Gulf and it will continue. There is no change in this operation.' Michele, 59, has straight, shoulder-length, blonde hair, hazel eyes and is 5ft 6in tall. More Trending She was last seen wearing a rhinestone-embellished two-piece swimsuit, yellow beach shoes and red horn-rimmed sunglasses. The British embassy in Greece issued an alert about Michele's disappearance, saying: The British embassy in Greece also issued an alert notice saying: 'Michele Ann BOURDA went missing on 01/08/2025 at the beach of Ofrynio in Kavala. 'On the day she went missing, she was wearing a swimsuit with decorative stones, yellow water shoes, and red plastic sunglasses. Her life is in danger.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Greek island dubbed 'Mykonos of the Sporades' is a gem that's 26C in September MORE: British tourist found dead in hotel pool after 'falling ill while swimming' MORE: Former Barcelona midfielder in hospital after dog bit his genitals
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
What we know as British woman Michele Bourda goes missing from Greek beach
A search has been launched in Greece for a British woman who went missing from a beach. Michele Bourda, 59, was last seen on Ofrynio beach near the Greek city of Kavala on Friday 1 August. The coastguard has mounted a search operation to find the missing woman, while the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has said it is supporting her family. What we know It has been reportedly locally that Bourda disappeared while sunbathing with her husband on the beach. A Greek missing persons charity, LifeLine Hellas, launched an online appeal, or a silver alert, to help find her. In its appeal, the charity said Ms Bourda disappeared at noon after going to Ofrynio beach for a swim with her husband. It described her as being thin, 1.73m tall with straight blonde hair down to her shoulders and hazel eyes. The charity said she was wearing a two-piece swimsuit with rhinestones on the day she went missing, as well as yellow beach shoes and red, bone-rimmed sunglasses. LifeLine Hellas said it was told of her disappearance by her relatives and activated its silver alert. "Her life is in danger," the charity said. The Hellenic Coastguard launched a search for Ms Bourda following the silver alert, which involved a number of vessels covering the area along the beach. It told Yahoo News UK that "searches were immediately launched" involving two patrol boats, two high-speed boats, five fishing boats, three private lifeboats and two patrol vehicles on land. However, the coastguard said there had been "negative results so far", but that "investigations are continuing". On Monday 4 August, the Brits in Greece page on Facebook, launched by the British Embassy in Athens, also posted a missing person alert involving Ms Bourda. It said: "On the day she went missing she was wearing a swimsuit with decorative stones, yellow water shoes and red plastic sunglasses." It asked anyone with information to call LifeLine or Greek police. What we don't know Further details of Bourda's disappearance are scarce. It is not known how long Greek authorities will continue the search though a coastguard official said "there are no plans to call off the operation yet", according to the Guardian. Local reports say she has been living in the city of Serres with her Greek husband, who reported her missing after he awoke from a nap on a sun lounger on the beach to find her missing, although she had left her belongings behind. It is not known how long Ms Bourda has been living in Greece or where she is from in the UK. A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) told Yahoo News UK: 'We are supporting the family of a British woman who is missing in Greece and are in contact with local authorities.'
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
Search for missing Briton continues in Greek resort
A mammoth search-and-rescue operation for a British woman last seen lounging on a sunbed in Greece has intensified days after her 'mysterious' disappearance. The Hellenic coastguard, backed by a flotilla of pleasure craft and fishing boats, has fanned across the waters off Ofrynio beach near the northern town of Kavala, where Michele Bourda, 59, went missing on 1 August. 'The search is very much on, with a patrol vessel and other recreational boats out scouring the seas all along the Strymonian Gulf,' said a coastguard official. 'Three days may have elapsed, but there are no plans to call off the operation yet.' While vessels combed the sea on Monday, police also continued an extensive search on land, authorities said. Bourda, described as a 'temporary resident' of Serres in northern Greece, was reported missing by her Greek husband on Friday after he awoke from a nap on a sunbed to find his wife had vanished from the adjacent lounger, though her belongings were still there. When authorities failed to find Bourda, LifeLine Hellas, a Greek missing persons charity, issued a silver alert – often activated when missing people are suffering from Altzheimer's and other forms of dementia – prompting a large-scale and coordinated search by rescue services. In its appeal for help, the charity described Bourda as about 5ft 6in tall and of slim build. 'On the day she went missing, she was wearing a swimsuit with decorative stones, yellow water shoes, and red plastic sunglasses. Her life is in danger,' it said. The British embassy in Athens issued a similar statement. As Monday drew to a close, Greek officials said that no decision had yet been made about whether or not to continue the search-and-rescue operation on Tuesday. 'Hope dies last,' said one. 'Any scenario would be guessing at this point, and it is too early to make any decision.' Even if the coastguard operation was brought to a halt, the search would continue on land, and regular patrol boats would still comb the seas as part of their daily activities. Bourda is not the first Briton to go missing in Greece this summer. Last month, another silver alert was activated after the family of 60-year-old Jay Arnold notified police that he had vanished while holidaying on the southern Aegean isle of Karpathos. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Arnold, who was staying in the village of Olympos in the north of the island, was last seen by a local woman from whom he had been renting accommodation. Police were alerted when he failed to check out of his room on the day he was due to leave. Though his rented car was found parked and locked, authorities have since described the search for him as 'going cold'. 'We've had dogs brought in, drones, specially trained police and volunteers out there looking and we've found nothing,' local police officer Panayiotis Fotopoulos said. 'It's very odd, a total mystery, that absolutely nothing should be found after so many weeks. We're not ruling out that perhaps he fell into the sea.' Last June, the celebrity doctor and TV presenter Michael Mosley was found dead five days after he went missing on the remote Greek island of Symi. An inquest determined he had likely died as a result of accidental heatstroke after getting lost as he attempted to return from the beach to his lodgings from a beach on the island. With its crystal clear blue waters and golden sands, Ofrynio beach is among the most picturesque places in northern Greece, which, like the rest of the country, has been hit by record temperatures in recent weeks.
