British woman’s ‘life in danger’ after vanishing from beach in Greece

The UK’s foreign office is speaking to Greek authorities after Michele Ann Bourda was reported missing from a beach in Kavala on Friday

Greek authorities are desperately searching for a British woman who vanished from a beach while her husband reportedly lay asleep.

Michele Ann Bourda, aged 59, was reported missing from Ofryni beach in Kavala on Friday.

Local media has reported that the woman had been relaxing on a sunbed next to her husband before he woke up to find she was gone at around noon.

Her family notified authorities and an investigation was launched to find her. But despite sea and land searches over the weekend, she remains missing.

On Sunday, three recreational craft, five fishing boats and two patrol boats were reportedly involved in the search operation.

“Three days may have elapsed, but there are no plans to call off the operation yet,” a coastguard official told The Guardian.

Lifeline Hellas, a Greek missing persons charity, also issued a social media appeal over the weekend.

It read: “Her life is in danger. If you know anything, contact the Silver Alert service, 24 hours a day, at the National SOS Line 1065.”

Ofryni beach in Kavala, where Michele Ann Bourda went missing while with her husband on Friday (Nikana Tourist Board)

She is described as thin and 5ft 7inch tall, having blonde hair down to her shoulders and hazel eyes.

On the day she disappeared she was wearing a two-piece swimsuit with rhinestones, yellow beach shoes and red sunglasses.

A summer sports instructor, on the beach at the time Ms Bourda went missing, reported speaking to someone who matched her description after seeing her swim in deep waters, LBC reported. He said he had urged her not to swim out any further.

Her husband reportedly woke up and, when he didn’t see his wife, went into a shop to ask the store owners if they had seen her, according to Greek newspaper Proto Thema.

The shopkeeper said: “He came to the store and asked us if we had seen his wife, who had disappeared. He also told us that his wife was not very well, and that she had problems. The husband was a bit stressed but told us that his wife had done this before, that is, she had disappeared.”

The UK embassy in Athens also shared a post on social media on her disappearance.

Local media reports that the woman lived with her husband, who is thought to be of Greek origin, in nearby Serres.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British woman who is missing in Greece and are in contact with local authorities”.