British woman who went missing on holiday in Greece 'was killed and eaten by wolves'

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

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 a nearby archaeological site.

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.

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

According to reports, 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 spokesman for Wiltshire Police 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 spokesman for the Foreign Office 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."

PA