Brit, 44, found dead with head injury off Greek hols island was ‘almost certainly unconscious’ before ‘falling’ in sea
A BRIT found dead from an injury on Greece’s most glamorous island was “almost certainly unconscious” before he died.
A coastguard gave the vital update saying the 44-year-old “appeared to be hit” on the left side of his head prior to falling into the water.
The man’s body was discovered in Spetses and officials said he was “found floating in the sea” in the island’s exclusive old port area.
“There was a gash to the left side of his head, a wound that is puzzling us,” one official told The Sun.
“He seems to have been hit. We hope to have answers soon because right now it is a mystery as to how he died,” they added.
Coastguard officials, police and locals confirmed Saturday that two days after the discovery of the body “nearly no” progress had been made as to how the Briton lost his life.
“There are things that don’t add up,” another official said.
“The probe continues with witness testimonies and a full inquiry is underway.”
Initially it was thought that the sailor, believed to be a yachtsman participating in Spetses’ annual Classic Yacht Regatta, had fallen into the sea from a wharf in the island’s exclusive old port area.
But by the weekend even that was being contested.
“Some are now saying he fell from a boat,” said a police insider speaking on condition of anonymity.
“What is sure is that he had an injury on the left side of his head and was almost certainly unconscious when he fell into the sea.”
Earlier a coastguard official had told the Sun the man “appeared to be hit.”
Adding to the mystery was the fact that no one had come forward to report him missing – not even fellow team members.
“It is not even certain where, exactly, his body was found,” said a businessman whose home is in the old port. “Nobody knows what the hell happened. It’s tragic.”
On Friday the Brit’s body was transferred to a coroner’s office in the port city of Piraeus, outside the Greek capital.
Following an autopsy a report compiled by forensic scientists is expected to be released but the Sun was told the results of toxicology tests that could shed light on the “exact cause of death” would take several months.
Spetses, long the playground for the rich and famous, is a two-hour hovercraft ride away from Athens.
Media reports suggested the dead sailor had arrived on the island to take part in the three-day Regatta which attracts hundreds of sailing fanatics each year.
The tragedy brings the death toll of tourists in Greece to eight since the beginning of June – described as “unprecedented” by authorities.
What is sure is that he had an injury on the left side of his head and was almost certainly unconscious when he fell into the sea.
police insider
With the exception of the latest incident all the victims, including the British TV presenter, Michael Mosley, a celebrity doctor found dead on the remote island of Symi on June 9th, five days after he went missing, lost their lives while hiking in blistering temperatures.
Greece has been sweltering in extreme heat for most of the month with the country forced to take emergency measures.
These included closing the Acropolis, the Greek capital’s most visited site, during the hottest hours of the day.
This week the Greek health minister Adonis Georgiadis warned tourists “must be careful” and attributed the deaths to holidaymakers underestimating climate change “and the dangerous phenomena it has created.”
One local Spetsiot said the tragedy had left the island shocked.
“This is the Monte Carlo of Greece and nothing like this ever happens here. We’re really shocked,” they said.
Spetses is home to some of the richest people in Greece with the founder of easJet, Sir Selios Haji-Ioannou, among the well-heeled residents with villas there.