In one of the most inaccessible and rugged areas of the Paphos forest, the 60-year-old man was finally locatedwho had been missing since yesterday at noon after going out to the area to pick mushrooms. Fortunately, the 60-year-old was found in good health.
A rescue operation is currently underway to transport him by helicopter to the hospital.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
He was found at the so-called “Roudia Bridge,” where—as those familiar with the area know—the “Black Cliffs” are located.
READ ALSO: He was located at the “Black Cliffs”: Happy ending to the disappearance of the 60-year-old man who went mushroom hunting in the Paphos Forest | AlphaNews
This is a particularly rugged and isolated section of the Paphos Forest, covering an area of 2,558 hectares.
It is a protected natural reserve of exceptional geomorphological, ecological, and aesthetic value.
Earlier, speaking on the Alpha News program, Forestry Department Spokesperson Glafkos Kyriakou had mentioned the area’s inaccessibility, a factor that complicated the search and rescue operation for the 60-year-old man.
A special drone equipped with a thermal camera from the Forestry Department had also been deployed for the large-scale operation, which had been ongoing since 2:30 p.m. yesterday.
Photos of the area from the Forestry Department’s “Roudia 2021” mission:
The timeline of the disappearance
Authorities in the Paphos district were placed on alert early Thursday afternoon after receiving information that three people who had gone to the Paphos forest to gather mushroomswere missing.
The Forestry Department, the Game and Wildlife Service, and the police launched an intensive search starting at 2:30 p.m., eventually managing to locate two of the three missing persons.
Speaking last night on AlphaNews.Live, the spokesperson for the Forestry Department, Glafkos Kyriakou, said that the third person, a 60-year-old man, had not yet been located, with the search efforts focusing on the “Roudia Valley,” an “extremely rugged and inaccessible area” that includes the so-called “Black Cliffs.”
According to Mr. Kyriakou, the search—which is continuing intensively throughout the night—involves members of the Forestry Department who know the area like the back of their hand, while the Department’s specialized drone equipped with a thermal camera was also deployed for the entire operation.
However, as of this Friday afternoon, when the 60-year-old was found, all efforts had proved fruitless, with anxiety over his fate mounting as the hours passed.
READ ALSO: Akkan Missing for Hours: His Two Friends, Who Had Gone Mushrooming Together in the Valley of the Cedars, Have Been Located | AlphaNews
