Greece says search for its missing envoy to Brazil continues

Investigations on Greece's ambassador to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis who has gone missing since Monday are ongoing, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Amanatidis said on Friday in Athens.

Speaking to local radio SKAI, the Greek official did not confirm international media reports that a charred body found inside a car in Rio de Janeiro on Friday was Amiridis, hoping that the diplomat will be found alive and safe.

Brazilian police said that the car had been rented by the ambassador who was visiting the city for the Christmas and New Year Eve holidays.

According to a Greek Foreign Ministry statement on Thursday, the Greek embassy in Brasilia was informed on Wednesday from the ambassador's family that they had not been able to contact him since Monday.

The 59-year old diplomat assumed duties as Greece's ambassador to Brazil in January 2016. He once served in Rio de Janeiro as consul from 2001 to 2004.

According to the Greek Foreign Ministry's website, Amiridis also was Greece's ambassador to Libya in 2012. He is married and has a daughter.

The Greek Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Amiridis had been missing since Monday. The ambassador reportedly went missing during a trip to Rio de Janeiro.

Amiridis' family reported no contact for a ransom in the past days, but police did not rule out the possibility of a kidnapping.

It is highly possible that Amiridis has been killed, Brazilian authorities said on Thursday. Endi