Missing hiker's brother urges increased U.S. involvement in search efforts: "I just want to find my brother"
The brother of an American tourist who vanished while hiking on the Greek island of Amorgos is making an urgent plea for help.
Albert Calibet, 59, a retired police officer who holds duel U.S.-French citizenship, was still missing Tuesday after he set out on a solo hike a week earlier. His brother, Oliver, was in Greece with a small group of friends and family to help with search efforts, and posted a video Monday on YouTube pleading for more help to find Calibet.
But Oliver Calibet said he thinks more should be done by the U.S. government to find his brother.
"This is a first responder, this a guy that's gone missing. This is a guy that's helped a lot of people throughout his career," Oliver Calibet said in a YouTube video.
Friends and family of Albert Calibet told CBS News that he was familiar with the island's hiking trails, having visited for years.
"It doesn't make sense. It's like it swallowed him," said Sandrine Cutright, Calibet's sister-in-law.
Robin Winston, a friend of Calibet, said Calibet may have sustained an injury that is preventing him from moving, and stressed the urgency of finding him.
Greece has been enduring a severe heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 104 degrees earlier this month, contributing to the dangers faced by hikers. The heat waves have been so intense that authorities have had to shut down schools.
Calibet is one of several tourists who have gone missing on Greek islands recently. At least three people have been found dead, including prominent British TV doctor Michael Mosley and 55-year-old Toby Sheets from Floral Park, New York. On Saturday, another body was discovered on the island of Samos, where a Dutch hiker had been missing for a week.
According to Reuters, two French women were also reported missing. One of the women contacted the guest house owner where she was staying on Friday to ask for assistance. Ilias Gavanas, the owner, informed Reuters that she had sent him a selfie and a message early Friday morning, indicating that she had fallen.
Meanwhile, despite Calibet not being seen for seven days, his family remains determined.
"I know, probably, the chances are very slim," Oliver Calibet said. "But if there's that 1% ... I just want to find my brother."
