Palma.—Chris and Vicky Furse have owned a house in S’Arraco for many years and are very well known in the village.
The ex-soldier is a keen biologist and animal lover and every day, goes for a walk between 2pm and 6pm, however, last Thursday he failed to return home and just before midnight, his wife reported him missing. Immediately a team of Local Police off-road motorcyclists began combing the area around the Furse household, despite it being 4am on Friday morning. At first light, a command centre was set up at the S’Arraco Sports Centre and the Guardia Civil Mountain Rescue team, with aerial support from a helicopter, were brought in along with fire fighters and their sniffer dogs, the Local Police, Civil Protection and friends and neighbours to help the search. At mid morning a taxi driver appeared on the scene claiming that he had picked Furse up in Andraitx the day before and taken him to the Sa Gramola finca which is a popular staring point for hikers heading for Sa Trapa.
A Guardia Civil unit rushed to the scene and eventually found Furse. He had stumbled along the track and suffered minor cuts and bruises to his legs but apart from that, was safe and sound. However, after a quick check up at the local PAC he was taken to Son Espases. And yesterday, just before flying back to the UK for a few weeks, a letter arrived at the Bulletin office in Palma in which he said he would like to have a "thank you message" published praising everyone involved in his search and rescue, be they professionals or volunteers of various nationalities and his subsequent recuperation at Son Espases. He also singled out one member of the Civil Protection department who returned the next day to try and recover Furse’s rucksack.
Sadly it had gone, but he did show Chris and his wife where he was found by the Guardia Civil.
He also thanked the paper for its coverage of the rescue operation.