An urgent search is underway for retired British doctor who disappeared on a solo hike in France after telling his family he had fallen.
Tom Doherty, 67, messaged his family calling for help because he had “fallen and cannot move” on Tuesday evening.
The dad-of-four had been on a hiking trip in the French Pyrenees when his concerned family lost contact with him and reported the disappearance to authorities.
French officials have launched a major search involving helicopters and dogs, as Mr Doherty’s wife and one of his daughters arrived in the area to help.
Mr Doherty is from St Albans, but has been living in France for the past 10 years following his retirement.
Reportedly an experienced walker, he had set off on his hiking and camping trip on Saturday, and was near Col d’Escots when he sent messages calling for help at 7:07pm.
Much of the search so far has been carried out in poor weather, with foggy conditions hampering the effort.
Key Points
- ‘He didn’t have the right equipment' - Tom Doherty’s wife speaks out
- All we know about the search effort so far
- Who is Tom Doherty?
- Family say they are ‘extremely concerned' about Mr Doherty’s welfare
Pictured: Father, grandfather and husband Tom Doherty with his family
12:29
Alex Croft
How to contact authorities with information
12:12
Alex Croft
Anyone who may have information on Mr Doherty’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Gendarmerie (French police) directly on 05 61 64 20 17.
His last known location is Col d’Escots in the Ariege region.
Family, friends and colleagues appeal for help on social media
12:01
Alex Croft
Tom Doherty’s family, friends and former colleagues have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to appeal for help in locating the former malaria specialist.
The UCLH Hospital for Tropical Diseases said they “desperately hope” that their “friend and former colleague” is found:
Our thoughts and very best hopes are with our friend and former colleague Tom Doherty, his wife Anne and all family since his fall and disappearance in the Pyrenees. We desperately hope he is found soon. Our great thanks to all supporting the search.
— The HTD (@HTropDis) August 8, 2024
Former colleague Stephen Moss says Tom Doherty is the brother of a close friend:
This is the brother of a very dear friend of mine - if you know this area and might be able to work out where Tom could be from the photographic clues, please help… https://t.co/6wUiSASfVP
— Stephen Moss (@StephenMoss_TV) August 9, 2024
Fellow infectious diseases specialist Dr Neil Stone said he is a “legend” of the medical area:
Dr Tom Doherty is a legend in the world of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases and inspired me to go into the field
— Neil Stone (@DrNeilStone) August 8, 2024
Desperately hope he is found safe and sound https://t.co/TAsHzwkxfp
Tom Doherty’s full movements: everything we know
11:43
Alex Croft
Here’s everything we know so far about Tom Doherty’s movements before he went missing:
Mr Doherty set off from his holiday home near Bergerac on Saturday, and started a hiking trip through the French Pyrenees.
Anne Doherty, his wife, told FranceInfo that she knew her husband had been in Ax-les-Thermes, a ski resort in the Ariege department, near Andorra, earlier in the week.
"We know this because he went hiking and camping. Every day we received photos and messages,” she told the outlet.
The friend of one of Mr Doherty’s daughters initially said in a missing persons appeal that his last known location was Étang du Comté, where authorities were able to geolocate an image he sent from Sunday.
“He is likely to be in/close to Ariège, in the Occitanie region,” she said.
But the search party has located his tent and his car, which was found near Col d’Escots, also in the Ariege region.
But foggy conditions in the last days have made the search - which involves helicopters, dogs, and mountain rescue - difficult.
‘We panicked' - Mr Doherty’s wife recalls moment they received a call for help
11:20
Alex Croft
More quotes have emerged from Anne Doherty, the missing doctor’s wife, who said the family panicked when they received a text message calling for help.
At 7:07pm on Tuesday, Mr Doherty sent text messages calling for “help” on Whatsapp, saying he had “fallen and cannot move”.
“We panicked,” Mrs Doherty said of the moment they saw the messages. “When I arrived in France, I hoped that they had found him and that we would be in the hospital.
"But, in the afternoon with the fog, we lost confidence, especially for a 67-year-old man spending a second night alone in these conditions.
"We have a lot of worries, but we have not lost hope.”
Family reveal last images shared by Mr Doherty on group chat
10:59
Alex Croft
Foreign Office says it is supporting family of missing man
10:46
Alex Croft
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says it is “supporting” the family of a man who has gone missing in France.
“We are supporting the family of a British man missing in France and are in touch with the local authorities,” it said in a statement.
The Independent has contacted the office for any further updates.
‘He didn’t have the necessary equipment' - Mr Doherty’s wife speaks out
10:35
Alex Croft
Anne Doherty, wife to missing Tom Doherty, has spoken out about her husband’s disappearance.
Speaking to French outlet FranceInfo, she said Mr Doherty “did not have the complete and necessary equipment” when he went out on his solo hike in the French Pyrenees.
Mrs Doherty also expressed doubts about her husband’s knowledge of the area, saying he “doesn't know the mountain well”.
She revealed that Mr Doherty had “toured the Pyrenees 15 years ago”, and that although he hikes regularly he usually only goes on "two to three-hour walks".
Who is missing doctor Tom Doherty?
10:14
Alex Croft
Dad-of-four Tom Doherty is said to be a keen and experienced hiker, who has spent most of his time in France since retiring a decade ago.
He has four children with his wife, Anne, and has homes in both St Albans, Hertfordshire, and south-west France.
Mr Doherty is also a grandfather, after his daughter, Rachel, whose quotes we shared earlier, had a child with his son-in-law, Tim Hughes.
A respected consultant of tropical medicine who worked in the NHS, Mr Doherty has worked around the world and specialised in Malaria, his family said.
One of his former colleagues, Dr Emily Shaw, described him in a post on X, formerly Twitter, as a “dear missing friend” and “former NHS colleague”.
“His family are desperately worried. All our thoughts are with them and him,” she wrote.
ICU consultant Jim Down posted: “A lovely lovely man. All thoughts with Tom Doherty and his family.”
All we know about the search effort so far
09:59
Alex Croft
French authorities are searching urgently for the missing grandfather and have called in helicopters and dogs to lead the search.
But conditions are difficult, with foggy weather making locating Mr Doherty far more difficult.
A picture from yesterday shows a search team vehicle shrouded in fog, with visibility appearing to be no further than around 20 metres.
The search party has located Mr Doherty’s tent, and his car which was found near Pouech de Gerac.
According to X posts by a friend of one of Tom’s daughters, authorities initially believed he was last seen on Tuesday at 12:30pm near Etang de la Piede.
But that theory has now been scrapped, with his family and search officials now believing it was a different person.
Read the full report on Tom Doherty’s disappearance on Tuesday
09:47
Alex Croft
It is now over 60 hours since Tom Doherty sent the last messages to his family, saying he had “fallen and cannot move”.
The urgent search operation, including a helicopter, dogs, and Mr Doherty’s family, has been underway for over two days.
But there has been no update as of this morning, as the family and authorities continue to search for the 67-year-old retired doctor.
Read the full report here:
09:31
Alex Croft
Mr Doherty’s daughter says family are “extremely concerned”
Tom Doherty’s daughter, Rachel, said her dad had been active on the group chat during his trip, sending pictures of the scenery in southern France.
“He was sending us a few pictures of the scenery and then on Tuesday afternoon sent us one of clouds coming over the top of a mountain. He said ‘bugger’,” she said.
“The last time we heard from him was Tuesday. He told us he had fallen and couldn’t move. That’s all we’ve had since. The search party found a tent and his car.”
“We’re obviously very worried and extremely concerned for his welfare.”
Rachel has joined the search effort near the Col d’Escots hiking trail.
“Help”: the messages Mr Doherty sent to his family before disappearing
09:22
Alex Croft
A screenshot has emerged of the messages Mr Doherty sent to his family when he went missing.
“Help”, he said at 7:07pm on Tuesday evening.
“I’ve fallen and cannot [m]ove,” he added, before his concerned family told each other they were struggling to get through to him.
Here is the full exchange:
Retired British doctor disappears in French mountains after going on solo hike
08:59
Alex Croft
A 67-year-old British doctor on a hiking trip in France has gone missing for three days, after messaging his family to say he’d had a fall.
Tom Doherty was hiking and camping near Col d’Escots in the French Pyrenees when his family lost contact with him on Tuesday.
Helicopters and dogs have been drafted in to lead the search and two members of Mr Dohert’s family - his wife and one of his daughters - have travelled to the area to assist.
