Drones deployed in major search for TV doctor Michael Mosley after he goes missing on Greek island

Drones have been deployed in the major police search for TV doctor and columnist Michael Mosley, after he went missing while on holiday in Greece.

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

Local police opened an investigation into his disappearance. 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”.

READ MORE Fans and TV colleagues 'sick with worry' and 'praying' for Dr Michael Mosley after vanishing in Greece

A statement from local police also confirmed they were informed about the “disappearance of the 67-year-old British national on the island” on Wednesday (June 5).

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.

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