British tourist mauled to death in Greece by rabid wolves not stray dogs, coroner believes

A British woman believed to have died after being mauled by feral dogs in Greece may have been attacked by rabid wolves, a coroner has said.

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The woman, named locally as Celia Hollingworth, of Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, was reported missing on Thursday.

The 62-year-old disappeared while walking back to her accommodation in Maroneia, in the northern part of the country, following a visit to the nearby archaeological site of Mesimvria.

Coroner Nikolaos Kifinidis told The Times that the condition of remains found on Saturday suggested she was not attacked by stray dogs.

"It seems like she may have been attacked by other wild animals, like rabid wolves and jackals," he said.

According to animal welfare campaigners, there are an estimated one million stray dogs in Greece, however wolves are common to the wooded region.

Reports suggest that Ms Hollingworth tried to contact her relatives in London after being attacked, but lost signal on her phone.





Celia Hollingworth had been visiting the nearby archaeological site of Mesimvria CREDIT: HERCULES MILAS/ALAMY

Several campaign groups in the UK paid tribute to the retiree, who was described as "dedicated" and "always optimistic".

Ms Hollingworth worked as an administrator at the University of Bristol and latterly dedicated her time to raising money for causes including Syrian refugees.

A Wiltshire Police spokesman said: "We are working closely with officers in Greece regarding the formal identification of the deceased.

"We are also working with colleagues from the Foreign Office and supporting her next of kin at this difficult time."

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with Greek police in relation to a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.

"We are also providing consular assistance to her family."