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Greek ambassador missing, his car with corpse found in Rio

Xinhua, December 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

It is highly possible that Greek Ambassador to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis has been killed, Brazilian authorities said on Thursday.

The ambassador went missing during a trip to Rio. A car matching the description and license plate of the one driven by Amiridis was found earlier in the day in Nova Iguacu, Rio metro area.

The car was burnt and had a corpse inside. The remains has been sent for identification.

Police are investigating the circumstances around the ambassador's disappearance. Amiridis' family reported no contact for a ransom in the past days, but police did not rule out the possibility of a kidnapping.

According to the Rio police, Amiridis was last seen in Nova Iguacu. Amiridis' wife reported him missing on Wednesday. She said she last talked to her husband on the phone on Monday when he said he was in Nova Iguacu.

He was driving a rented car and it is believed he was headed for Rio. Stationed in Brazil's capital city Brasilia, the ambassador was in Rio for an end-of-year vacation.

Amiridis has been serving as Greece's ambassador to Brazil since early 2016. From 2001 to 2004, he was Greece's consul in Rio de Janeiro. Endi