Hunters in Limassol spot mummified body

A group of hunters found a decomposed body on Sunday in a remote area in rural Limassol, with media reports suggesting the body could belong to an elderly hiker who disappeared earlier this summer.

According to police, a private citizen contacted authorities on Sunday morning around 10am and reported the discovery of a dead male, whose body was spotted in a 40 metre-deep ditch near the Episkopi exit along the Limassol-Paphos highway. Local media said the discovery was made by a group of hunters in the area.

State forensic examiners who rushed to the area examined the mummified body, which was then transported to the morgue in Limassol. A post mortem examination has been scheduled for Tuesday.

Police said they were ruling out foul play based on preliminary findings, while DNA tests are expected to help identify the body.

Local media speculated that the body could belong to a senior citizen, described as a British national with medical issues, who went missing in the area in July. He reportedly went hiking with fellow compatriots but couldn't keep up and split from the group to get back to the area where their vehicles had been parked on the side of a rural road between Kantou and Sotira.

The group notified police when they got back to their vehicles and realized the elderly man was nowhere to be found.