Athens, Dec 30 (IANS) Investigations are continuing into the disappearance of Greece's ambassador to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis since Monday, Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Yannis Amanatidis said here on Friday.
The minister, however, did not confirm the media reports that a charred body found inside a car in Rio de Janeiro on Friday was Amiridis, and instead hoped the diplomat will be found alive and safe, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to Brazilian police, the car was rented by the ambassador who was visiting the city of Rio for the Christmas and New Year Eve holidays.
The Greek Foreign Ministry on Thursday said its embassy in Brasilia, Brazil's capital city, was informed on Wednesday by the ambassador's family that they had not been able to contact him since Monday.
The 59-year-old diplomat assumed duty 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 Amiridis reportedly went missing during a trip to Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
His family reported no contact for a ransom in the past days, but the police did not rule out the possibility of kidnapping.
It is highly possible that Amiridis has been killed, Brazilian authorities said on Thursday.
--IANS
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