Daily Express - 07.08.2019

6 Daily Express Wednesday, August 7, 2019

DX1ST

By Andy Lines

Picture: PA

Dr Natalie Christopher, right, was jogging on Ikaria

Huge hunt for

British scientist

who vanished

on holiday isle

A BRILLIANT British astrophysicist
has disappeared while out running on
an idyllic Greek island.
Dr Natalie Christopher, 34, van-
ished on beautiful Ikaria. When she
did not return to her room, her part-
ner raised the alarm.
A huge search has now been
mounted to find the Oxford
University-educated scientist.
Ms Christopher arrived on the
island on Saturday for a short break
and was due to leave for Cyprus,
where she lives, on Monday.
When her partner woke he could
not find her. He rang her mobile and
she said she was just going for a jog.
But later he could not reach her and
after three hours he called police.
Officers discovered her mobile
phone was sending a signal from the
same area but later appeared to have
been switched off.
A police spokesman said: “We
now have helicopters and firefighters
assisting us in the search.”
Appeals have also been posted
online.
Dr Christopher is a renowned
astrophysicist, conducting research at
the European University Cyprus in its
Astrophysics and High Performance
Computing group.
She also launched the Cyprus Girls
Can campaign to get women and

girls, of all ages and abilities across

Cyprus, more involved in sport.

Meanwhile police in Portugal prob-

ing the disappearance of a man from

East Sussex have discovered a body.

Joel Eldridge, 29, from Bexhill, was

living in Macieira, near Serta, when

his family last heard from him in

July last year.

Sussex police said that officers were

informed of Mr Eldrige’s disappear-

ance in late August, with a public

and media appeal launched for

information.

The force said yesterday that

Portuguese officers had discovered a

body near the town of Picha.

Mr Eldridge travelled to Portugal in

January last year, saying he was going

to work on a house near Coimbra,

police said.

He also contacted a UK-based firm

about potential work back in Britain

on July 26, 2018.

Police detectives and officers from

the National Crime Agency have been

working on the case alongside

counterparts in Portugal.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris

Friday, of Surrey and Sussex Major

Crime Team, said: “Our inquiries,

supporting those of the Portuguese

investigators, gave us cause to believe

that Joel had come to harm at the

hands of others while in Portugal.

“We understand that further tests

are needed to confirm that the body is

that of Joel, but we suspect this to be

the case and we have updated his

family about this development.

“Our thoughts are with them at

this sad time.”

Mr Friday said the Portuguese

judicial police continued to lead a

murder investigation.

By Flora Thompson

its voyage in Oman. The

ship was boarded by

officers from Border

Force and the National

Crime Agency and

allowed to continue its

journey after the drugs

had been removed.

Two men were later

arrested in Holland while

a third detained in

Bromsgrove, Worcs, is

still being questioned.

Officials said the drugs

would have been worth

£9million to crime bosses.

Colin Williams of the

NCA said: “It is almost

certain that some of this

would have been sold in

the UK, fuelling violence

and exploitation.”

£40m heroin haul in

UK dock ship search

PACKAGES containing

hundreds of kilos of

heroin are laid out after

being seized at a UK port.

The drugs, with a street

value of up to £40mllion,

were found hidden under

consignments of towels

and bathrobes inside a

shipping container.

Several suspects have

been held in the wake of

the seizure of the 877lb

load, one of Britain’s

largest drug hauls.

The heroin was

intercepted at Felixstowe,

Suffolk, on a ship bound

for Antwerp in Belgium.

Intelligence had led to

British, Dutch and

Belgian police tracking

the container, which is

believed to have begun

Individually

wrapped

parcels of

heroin found

hidden under

bath towels

open during an

independent, self-funded

research trip to the Indian

Ocean island nation.

Madagascan officials

had accused British

authorities of not offering

funding to help in the

search for the second year

biology student.

Miss Cutland, from

Milton Keynes, Bucks,

reportedly suffered severe

paranoia and delusions

caused by anti-malaria

medication.

Initially, there were

fears her body would never

be found.

A TRIBE in Madagascar

has found the body of

Cambridge student Alana

Cutland, police said

yesterday.

The 19-year-old hurled

herself out of a small

plane as it flew over jungle

on July 25.

Her body was found by

villagers after a large

search of a remote area

filled with swamps.

She was reported to

have jumped from the

plane shortly after take-off

when she forced the door

Villagers

find body

of plane

jump girl

Student Alana Cutland

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