California ex deputy, 59, goes missing while hiking in Greece as another American tourist is found dead on the beach after vanishing last week

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A retired California sheriff's deputy went missing while hiking in Greece during a heatwave earlier this week.

Albert Calibet, 59, was hiking on the 47-square-mile island of Amorgos on Tuesday when he failed to return.

The retired Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy spoke to his girlfriend Debbie Leshane before the hike and texted her a picture of the trailhead around 9:30am, but has not been in contact since, the San Francisco Gate reported.

Two hours later, footage showed Calibet leaving the village of Aegiali, where he picked up a soft drink and a bottle of water.

A rescue operation was launched on Tuesday afternoon, and reinforcements were called in from nearby Naxos Island including enlisting a helicopter.

Albert Calibet, 59, was hiking on the 47-square-mile island of Amorgos on Tuesday

Calibet (right) spoke to his girlfriend Debbie Leshane before the hike but has not been in contact since

A desperate search across the island has been launched, including a helicopter and local shepherds, in hopes of locating the 59-year-old

Police have requested data from mobile operators to help determine Calibet's last known location, and the search has even seen local shepherds join in the efforts, ABC News reported.

'We're sick to our stomachs, knowing he's out there somewhere,' Leshane told ABC7.

Popi Despotidi, Amorgos' deputy mayor for tourism, said it is likely that Calibet got dizzy in the heat and 'collapsed somewhere.'

'It's odd because he's not someone who was walking this route for the first time,' Despotidi told local media.

Calibet is reportedly a regular visit to Amorgos, a rocky island of less than 2,000 inhabitants.

'(He) is well-known on the island,' Despotidi said. 'He has been visiting for several years and has completed the Aegiali-Ketapola hike several times in the past.'

Temperatures peaked at dangerous levels across Greece on Thursday, rising to almost 113 degrees.

Footage captured Calibet walking through a town on the day he disappeared, where he bought a soft drink and a bottle of water on the sweltering hot day

Amorgos' deputy mayor for tourism, said it is likely that Calibet got dizzy in the heat and 'collapsed somewhere'

Calibet is reportedly a regular visit to Amorgos, a rocky island of less than 2,000 inhabitants

Calibet's disappearance comes just days after a missing US tourist was found dead on a rocky beach on the small Greek island of Mathraki.

The victim was reported missing on Thursday by his host, a Greek-American friend.

He was reportedly last seen Tuesday in a local café in the company of two women who have since left the small island.

Details about the man, including a name and hometown, were not immediately available.

Just last week, Dr. Michael Mosley, beloved British television presenter and Daily Mail columnist, was found dead on the island of Symi after collapsing on a hike.

His wife said he took the wrong route and collapsed just before reaching a marina, in a spot where his body could not be easily seen.

Dr Mosley, 67, was found dead by a fence at the resort of Agia Marina on Sunday morning just 260 feet from a beach bar and safety.

Temperatures at the time had been nudging 40C and the excessive heat is thought to have played a role in his death.