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Telegraph
5 days ago
- Telegraph
Spanish police search for missing Briton after finding his abandoned van
Police in Spain are searching for a British man whose van was found abandoned near a popular beach resort on the Costa Brava coast. Matthew Chapman, 24, from Manchester, was reported missing by his family on April 30. Police said they found his van at a viewpoint on the road north from Tossa de Mar toward the town of Sant Feliu de Guíxols. After conducting a two-day search, police called it off on Thursday, a spokeswoman for Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra told The Telegraph. According to the Spanish news site police sources said Mr Chapman drove his van to France on May 1 via the Eurotunnel. 'Land, sea and air search' Signals from his two mobile phones showed him in both Spain and Portugal between May 2 and May 4, before being lost on the Costa Brava where his van was found. Catalan police linked the van to Mr Chapman's missing person file on Interpol. On Wednesday and Thursday last week, firefighters searched the area around the van with sniffer dogs and drones, but found no sign of him or a body. 'It was a land, sea and air search which took place on Wednesday and Thursday,' said a spokesman for Mossos d'Esquadra. 'The investigation into the missing man's whereabouts is continuing.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Huge search being carried out as Manchester man, 24, goes missing in Spain
A 'land, sea and air' search has been carried out after a man from Manchester disappeared on Spain's Costa Brava. The 24-year-old man has named locally as Matthew Chapman. It has emerged that he left the UK in a van which was then found 'abandoned' at a viewpoint overlooking the Mediterranean, near Tossa de Mar. The Catalonian resort is about 60 miles north of Barcelona and the same distance south of the French border. READ MORE: Tributes pour in as 'Manchester's number one legend' Arthur Donnelly dies READ MORE: More than 2,000 people in Greater Manchester asked to be able to vote for London's mayor - now the Government has responded family are said to have reported him missing on Wednesday, April 30. Police and firefighters launched a two-day search operation to look for him, earlier this week. A helicopter and drones were used before it was called-off late on Thursday. A spokeswoman for the Mossos d'Esquadra regional police force said: 'It was a land, sea and air search which took place on Wednesday and Thursday. The investigation into the missing man's whereabouts is continuing.' It is not clear what the police's next steps will be. Catalan news website El Caso reported last night investigators had discovered Matthew travelled to France on May 1 on the Eurotunnel and spent time in Portugal and Spain before his mobile phone signal petered out near Tossa de Mar around 60 miles north of Barcelona. Officers are said to be keeping an open mind on what could have happened to Matthew. The Mossos d'Esquadra force previously led the probe into rugby player and X Factor star Levi Davis' disappearance in Barcelona. The last confirmed sighting of Levi was of him leaving an Irish pub in the Catalan capital on the night of October 29 2022 after taking a boat from Ibiza with just £35 in his pocket and no change of clothes. The port search and another in the Llobregat Delta, one of Catalonia's most important wetland zones near Barcelona where police said at the time sea currents could have taken his body or items of clothing, failed to yield any clues. They were organised after four members of cruise liner MSC Bellissima, which docked in Barcelona around eight hours after the pub CCTV sighting, said they had seen a man in the sea wearing the same light-coloured top as Levi and shouting for help in English. A lifebuoy was thrown to him and coastguards in Barcelona mobilised their helicopter called Helimer 203 and a vessel called Salvamar Mintaka. A boat operated by firefighters was also sent to the scene along with police and Red Cross vessels but they were stood down after it was confirmed no-one was missing from the cruise liner and police confirmed no-one had been reported missing in port waters or in the sea off Barcelona. A British tourist went missing at Alicante airport at the end of March after a stag do in Benidorm before being found. Jason Taylor, 36, vanished as he waited for a flight back to Birmingham, sparking a police manhunt which had a happy ending nearly four days later on April 1 when he was spotted walking along a nearby beach. Police sources said after he was found that the fact he didn't have his mobile phone on him had caused him extra complications.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Hunt for missing British man launched by police after his van was found abandoned in Spain's Costa Brava
Spanish police are hunting a British man after his van was found abandoned at a viewpoint off the Mediterranean coast. The 24-year-old was named locally last night as Matthew Chapman from Manchester, almost a month on from his family reporting him missing on April 30. Earlier this week police launched a two-day search near the popular resort of Tossa de Mar involving a helicopter and drones before calling it off late on Thursday. Mr Chapman had travelled to France on May 1 on the Eurotunnel and spent time in Portugal and Spain before his mobile phone signal petered out around 60 miles north of Barcelona. A spokesman for the Mossos d'Esquadra regional police force confirmed a two-day search for the missing Brit was undertaken. She added: 'It was a land, sea and air search which took place on Wednesday and Thursday. 'The investigation into the missing man's whereabouts is continuing.' Officers are said to be keeping an open mind on what could have happened to Mr Chapman who according to Spanish reports had economic problems and was struggling to keep his car valet firm afloat. It not clear what Catalan police are now doing as part of their investigation. The Mossos d'Esquadra force also led the probe into rugby player and X Factor star Levi Davis' disappearance in Barcelona. The last confirmed sighting of Mr Davis was of him leaving an Irish pub in the Catalan capital on the night of October 29 2022 after taking a boat from Ibiza with just £35 in his pocket and no change of clothes. The port search and another in the Llobregat Delta, one of Catalonia's most important wetland zones near Barcelona where police said at the time sea currents could have taken his body or items of clothing, failed to yield any clues. They were organised after four members of cruise liner MSC Bellissima, which docked in Barcelona around eight hours after the pub CCTV sighting, said they had seen a man in the sea wearing the same light-coloured top as Levi and shouting for help in English. A lifebuoy was thrown to him and coastguards in Barcelona mobilised their helicopter called Helimer 203 and a vessel called Salvamar Mintaka. A boat operated by firefighters was also sent to the scene along with police and Red Cross vessels but they were stood down after it was confirmed no-one was missing from the cruise liner and police confirmed no-one had been reported missing in port waters or in the sea off Barcelona. A British tourist went missing at Alicante airport at the end of March after a stag do in Benidorm before being found. Jason Taylor, 36, vanished as he waited for a flight back to Birmingham, sparking a police manhunt which had a happy ending nearly four days later on April 1 when he was spotted walking along a nearby beach. Police sources said after he was found that the fact he didn't have his mobile phone on him had caused him extra complications. Tossa de Mar is about 60 miles north of Barcelona and the same distance south of the French border.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- The Sun
Brit tourist, 24, missing in Costa Brava as Spanish cops launch major search with helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs
A MAJOR search is underway 24-year-old Brit believed to have vanished on Spain's Costa Brava. A maritime police unit and a helicopter - as well as sniffer dogs - have been deployed to support the operation. 1 The hunt is focusing on the resort of Tossa de Mar north of Barcelona, which is where the missing man's phone was last located. A van believed to be his has been found at a scenic viewpoint close to steep cliffs near Tossa de Mar. Regional Mossos d'Esquadra police launched their operation yesterday after the man's family reported him missing in the UK. The force then received an alert from Interpol. The van, thought to have been abandoned some days ago, was found a few hours into the search which. Local media reported overnight the 24-year-old had disappeared in the UK three weeks ago on April 30. The search is expected to resume at first daylight tomorrow. No-one from the police force leading the search could be reached for comment late last night. A British tourist went missing at Alicante airport at the end of March after a stag do in Benidorm before being found. Jason Taylor, 36, vanished as he waited for a flight back to Birmingham, sparking a police manhunt which had a happy ending nearly four days later on April 1 when he was spotted walking along a nearby beach. Police sources said after he was found that the fact he didn't have his mobile phone on him had caused him extra complications. Tossa de Mar is about 60 miles north of Barcelona and the same distance south of the French border. is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- The Sun
Brit tourist, 24, missing in Costa Brava as Spanish cops launch major search
Breaking DESPERATE HUNT A maritime police unit and a helicopter have been deployed to support the operation A MAJOR search is underway 24-year-old Brit believed to have vanished on Spain's Costa Brava. A maritime police unit and a helicopter - as well as sniffer dogs - have been deployed to support the operation. 1 Lloret de Mar beach, Costa Brava seascape Credit: Getty The hunt is focusing on the resort of Tossa de Mar north of Barcelona , which is where the missing man's phone was last located. A van believed to be his has been found at a scenic viewpoint close to steep cliffs near Tossa de Mar. Regional Mossos d'Esquadra police launched their operation yesterday after the man's family reported him missing in the UK. The force then received an alert from Interpol. The van, thought to have been abandoned some days ago, was found a few hours into the search which. Local media reported overnight the 24-year-old had disappeared in the UK three weeks ago on April 30. The search is expected to resume at first daylight tomorrow. No-one from the police force leading the search could be reached for comment late last night. A British tourist went missing at Alicante airport at the end of March after a stag do in Benidorm before being found. Jason Taylor, 36, vanished as he waited for a flight back to Birmingham, sparking a police manhunt which had a happy ending nearly four days later on April 1 when he was spotted walking along a nearby beach. Police sources said after he was found that the fact he didn't have his mobile phone on him had caused him extra complications. Tossa de Mar is about 60 miles north of Barcelona and the same distance south of the French border. More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
