Zante mountain rescue search for missing Welsh tourist

John Tossell from Bridgend has been missing since 17 June

A Welsh mountain rescue team has begun its search for a missing tourist on the Greek island of Zante.

John Tossell, 73, from Bridgend, did not return to the hotel he was staying at with his partner Gillian after going for a walk on 17 June.

He was on the third day of a holiday and had gone to the monastery on Mount Skopos, near the village of Argassi.

The Western Beacons Mountain Rescue team has been searching the mountain where he was last seen.

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The rescue team offered to help, and raised money for flights and accommodation, as well as receiving help from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office via Bridgend MP Madeleine Moon.

The first six members of the 14-strong team began their search at 05:00 local time in Greece, and will continue their operation on the island until night fall on Sunday.

The team will be joined by a further five colleagues this evening, and three more are due to arrive on Monday.

Mr Tossell had been visiting the Panagia Skopiotissa monastery

Leigh Griffiths, a member of the family of the missing man John Tossell, said: "I'm extremely impressed by the attitude and professionalism shown by the rescue team.

"If anyone can find John, they can."

Gillian's son, Leigh Griffiths, 46, said previously: "I don't think we have any chance of finding John alive", and criticised Greek police, saying they did not check CCTV properly.

A local restaurant had clearer images of Mr Tossell walking down the street and from that Mr Griffiths said they were able to work out which side of the mountain he would have walked up.

"If the police would have done this earlier we could have focused the search on that one point of the Skopos mountain," he said.

"I think this would have given us more of a chance of finding John."