Dr Michael Mosley: Foul play ruled out in TV doctor’s death – as CCTV footage appears to capture moment he fell

Published

7 months ago

June 10, 2024

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Foul play has been ruled out in the death of Michael Mosley – as CCTV footage appears to show him falling over close to where his body was found.

WARNING: This article contains descriptions of Dr Michael Mosley’s last moments which some readers might find distressing

There were no injuries on the TV doctor’s body that could have caused his death, according to Greek police sources.

CCTV footage appeared to show him falling over close to where his body was found in Agia Marina on the island of Symi – and clearly shows that no one was with him.

His time of death was around 4pm on Wednesday, a few hours after he went missing and very soon after he fell.

The cause of death can only be determined once the toxicology report is back.

Footage found by a beach bar at Agia Marina shows what appears to be the 67-year-old making his way down a rocky slope close to a fence before he falls out of view.

Agia Marina bar manager Ilias Tsavaris, 38, told Sky News correspondent Sadiya Chowdhury in Symi the CCTV shows Mosley walking along the perimeter.

“Over there in the mountains, like 30m from the place where we found him, he started crawling a little. And then the distance of 30m, which a normal person could do in two minutes or five minutes, took him half an hour or more,” he said.

“So he’s still crawling over and then he fell, passed out exactly in the place where we found him.”

His widow Dr Clare Bailey Mosley said he “very nearly made it” to safety.

She said Mosley – who went missing on Wednesday after leaving his wife and friends at Agios Nikolaos beach to walk back to their hotel – appeared to have undertaken an “incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen” by search and rescue teams.

Tributes have poured in for the doctor who made popular the 5:2 diet and championed public health.

Mosley first trained as a doctor in London before moving into the world of media, becoming a presenter, documentary maker, author and columnist.

His body was discovered by a cameraman on Sunday morning after a widespread search by emergency services operating in dangerous conditions and high temperatures.

He had been missing for four days and police said they believed he had walked north from Pedi marina in the direction of Agia beach.

His wife raised the alarm after he failed to return.

His four children also arrived on the island to help search for their father as the focus shifted to a snake-infested mountainous area after CCTV footage on Saturday emerged of his then last known movements.

It showed him on Wednesday making his way through the small fishing village of Pedi heading up into the remote rocky terrain.

Mr Tsavaris was the person sent to check if what local cameraman Antonios saw was indeed the doctor’s body.

He told Chowdhury: “Without saying anything I went outside the fence and as soon as I turned my head on the left, I saw something. I went up close, really close to the man. I saw the body.

“You don’t see these kinds of things every day, especially on a small island and a small place like this. So it was not the best feeling.”

He said he has not been able to eat since yesterday, adding his thoughts are with Dr Mosley’s children who he said had followed their father’s perceived footsteps two days earlier and searched just metres away from where his body was eventually found.

“The whole family came here still searching. They had some water to get some rest. And then they continued searching, walking. But they took the path back on the opposite side.”

He told of how close Dr Mosley’s children had come to finding their father.

“If they walked for five minutes, probably,” he said.

“I don’t know if that’s a bad thing or a good thing, because I cannot imagine his family that’s here to see what I saw. And believe me, what I saw, it’s… I cannot describe. It was not a good thing to see.”

Mosley’s body was found about 50m from the closest jetty and the resort’s northern sunbeds – and taken to Rhodes by the Greek coastguard for a post-mortem and formal identification.

The coroner’s office in Rhodes confirmed to Chowdhury an autopsy has been completed.

The news has sparked an outpouring of grief from his loved ones and fans, with friends and colleagues praising him for innovating the world of science and health broadcasting.

Chris van Tulleken, Mosley’s co-presenter on BBC series Trust Me, I’m A Doctor, said broadcasting can be “very competitive and a bit cut-throat” but Mosley “created this generous idea that we were all in this together and so he was endlessly helpful off screen as well”.

He added: “There’s so much of his content I just consumed as a normal consumer. I enjoyed it, it entertained me while I was listening, and then it quietly changed my daily practices. So my own personal medical routine every day is very, very based on the work of Michael Mosley over the last 10-15 years.”

Downing Street said Mosley was an “extraordinary broadcaster” who had a “huge impact” on people’s lives.

World

Qatar’s PM says Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal is ‘last chance for Gaza’

Published

4 hours ago

January 17, 2025

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Qatar's PM says Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal is 'last chance for Gaza'

The ceasefire deal is “the last chance for Gaza”, Qatar’s prime minister has said, adding: “Failure is not an option.”

In an exclusive interview with Sky News’ Yalda Hakim, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani warned that “peace won’t happen” if there is not a Palestinian state.

He also criticised parties for the time it took to reach a deal.

Qatar has been one of the key mediators between Israel and Hamas in the more than 15 months since the renewed conflict erupted.

Mr al Thani told Sky News: “What we have reached with this deal is the last chance for Gaza. To save Gaza from this war this is our last chance.

“When we talk about peace in general, peace won’t happen without a Palestinian state at the end of the day. To address the root cause of the issue and not to just address the symptoms of the issue.”

Gaza ceasefire agreement latest: Israel’s security cabinet recommends approving deal

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Asked what the consequences of the ceasefire deal collapsing would be, he said: “Failure is not an option. That’s what all of us should aspire to.

“If it fails we will not give up we will make sure it is rehashed again and the parties are adhering to that.”

Mr al Thani said Qatar’s role was as “guarantor and mediators” and that they would make sure the deal is delivered.

He talked about creating a “safety net” for any issues to be resolved before the deal “explodes”.

Qatar’s prime minister also criticised the negotiating parties for the time it took to agree a deal, saying that it was the same framework agreed upon in December 2023.

“Which is basically 13-months of a waste of negotiating the details that has no meaning and is not worth a single life that we lost in Gaza or a single life of the hostages lost because of the bombing.”

He also touched on US president-elect Donald Trump, who he said could “create a greater impact for the region”.

Commenting on how the incoming administration has operated during negotiations, he said: “I believe if this continues to be the attitude and approach for the next four years, we can create a lot of good things for the region.”

Elaborating on the need for a Palestinian state next to an Israeli state, he said: “That’s what we are aiming for.

“And I believe this moment we count on the wisdom of the leadership of the world. To really push for a solution at the end to the day.”

World

Israel’s security cabinet recommends approving Gaza ceasefire deal

Published

7 hours ago

January 17, 2025

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Israel's security cabinet recommends approving Gaza ceasefire deal

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a deal with Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages and prisoners.

It will now go to the full cabinet for final sign-off, with a meeting said to be scheduled for this afternoon.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said approval came “after examining all political, security and humanitarian aspects” and with the understanding it “supports the achievement of the war’s goals”.

Live – Gaza ceasefire agreement latest

If passed, the truce could begin on Sunday.

In its first stage, the deal would see 33 of the 98 hostages freed over the course of six weeks. About half of the 98 are believed to be alive.

The remainder are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first.

Hamas has said it won’t release everyone without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.

Between 990 and 1,650 Palestinian prisoners and detainees will be released in exchange, depending on the number of hostages freed.

Hardliners in Israel’s coalition government have criticised the deal as giving in to Hamas and security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to resign if it was approved.

However, he said he wouldn’t bring down the government and ministers are expected to approve it.

The ceasefire has been long in the works and there have been false dawns, but on Wednesday a deal was done after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US.

Israel has continued strikes on Gaza in the meantime, and Palestinian officials said 86 people were killed the day after the agreement was unveiled.

More than 46,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive in Gaza – mostly women and children – according to officials there.

Around 1,200 were murdered in Israel – alongside more than 250 who were kidnapped – in the October 2023 Hamas terror attack that started the war.

Israel has said it wants to wipe out the group and that it’s killed some 17,000 of its fighters.

However, it’s been accused of not doing enough to protect civilians – claims it denies – in a war that’s devastated Gaza, displaced hundreds of thousands and left many starving.

The World Health Organisation has said it should be possible to dramatically increase Gaza aid to about 600 trucks a day under the deal.

An average of 51 entered in early January, according to UN data.

World

Flights forced to divert to avoid debris from SpaceX Starship explosion

Published

7 hours ago

January 17, 2025

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Flights forced to divert to avoid debris from SpaceX Starship explosion

Dozens of planes have been forced to divert or fly holding patterns to avoid potential debris from the SpaceX rocket that blew up.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it briefly slowed and re-routed planes in the area where the pieces were falling back to earth.

Tracking app FlightRadar24 said its most-watched flights last night after the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” – as Space X called it – were those holding or diverting over the Caribbean.

It appeared to show several planes flying circular holding patterns, including a Spirit jet heading to Puerto Rico and an Air Transat flight bound for the Dominican Republic.

A Boeing 767 transporting Amazon cargo diverted to Nassau in the Bahamas, while a JetBlue flight turned back to where it began in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The FAA often closes airspace for space missions and can create a “debris response area” to protect aircraft if a rocket has a problem outside the original closed zone.

Spectacular video on social media showed the debris from the 400ft Starship rocket streaking across the sky, with another clip showing it from the cockpit of a small plane.

Despite the rocket blowing up, SpaceX owner Elon Musk appeared to see the bright side, posting on X: “Success is uncertain, but entertainment is guaranteed!”

SpaceX launched the rocket from Boca Chica, south Texas, on Thursday around 4.40pm local time (10.40pm in the UK).

The flight was the seventh test for the newly-upgraded Starship, which was due to make a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean about an hour after launch.

But the company said it lost contact about eight and half minutes into the flight, with the last data indicating an altitude of 90 miles and a velocity of 13,245 mph.

There was some success though – the booster section returned to a launchpad and was caught between two giant mechanical arms.

It’s the second time SpaceX has managed this particular feat and it’s part of its effort to reuse hardware and make space travel cheaper – with getting to Mars the big aim.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket also successfully launched two moon landers earlier this week, while Jeff Bezos also had a big win early Thursday morning.

The Amazon boss’s company, Blue Origin, put its New Glenn rocket into orbit for the first time.