Celia Hollingworth, 63, was mauled to death by a pack of wolves with such force that their bites shattered bone, a coroner has said
A missing British hiker whose dismembered, fleshless remains were found in the hills of northern Greece was probably attacked, torn apart and devoured by wolves, a coroner said.
Nikos Kifnidis said the ferocity of the attack was such that both the woman’s thigh bones had been cracked open by bites and large sections of her body are still missing.
He said a vet at Wednesday’s post mortem confirmed no dog could have administered bites with such force.
The remains were found on Saturday near the village of Petrota in Thrace, 180 miles east of the city of Thessaloniki.
Near them, authorities found a passport for Celia Lois Hollingworth, 63, whom the British embassy in Athens reported missing in the area on Friday.
Ms Hollingworth, who had been staying at a guest house in the nearby town of Maroneia, phoned her family in Britain on Thursday to say she was injured although her remains were not found until 10.45am on Saturday.
Her phone lost signal shortly after and her family called police to raise alarm about the attack.
Ms Hollingworth, from Bradford-upon-Avon, Wiltshire, had apparently been attacked after returning from a visit to the Mesimvria archaeological site near Petrota Beach, in Rodopi, by foot.
After she alerted her mother and brother about the dog attack, they called local authorities in Greece to try to get help finding the woman, according to ERT Television.
Ms Hollingworth’s family then called the British Embassy in Greece, who liaised with police to launch a search.
The injuries were so severe that they could not have been caused by a pack of dogs, according to coroner Nikos Kifnidis. She had visited this archaeological site shortly before she died
Wolves and stray dogs are going to be rounded up in a desperate bid to try to identify the animals responsible for Ms Hollingworth’s death.
When the search began, Ms Hollingworth had last been seen by swimmers on Thursday afternoon.
It was taken via ambulance to the General Hospital of Komotini, where an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
Neighbours at Ms Hollingworth’s home in Bradford in Avon, Wiltshire, said the ‘kind and friendly’ woman was active in her community.
Andrew Otto, 54, said: ‘Celia was always very friendly. I’ve only lived here for a year but when we moved in she offered to store boxes for us.
Authorities (pictured during the search) found the 63-year-old tourist dead on Saturday. The coroner said her body was dismembered and parts of it are still missing
‘She told she was going to Greece about five weeks ago. That was the last we heard from her.
‘She didn’t give a lot away about herself but she was always active in the community and would often go round with petitions.’
Alan Clifford, 74, added: ‘She was a quiet person, and always doing things for other people.
‘There is a lot of people who you can say they were kind or friendly, but Celia had the works to prove it.’
Human rights campaigner Ms Hollingworth was an active member of community groups in Bradford-on-Avon and Bath.
The Foreign Office said: ‘We are in contact with Greek Police about a British woman missing in northern Greece since Thursday.’ Pictured: Petrota Beach, near where a body was found
A member of the West Wilts Amnesty Group, Celia was also the University and College Union representative at Bristol University.
She was a long-standing member of the Bristol Greece Solidarity campaign, supporting those struggling with austerity following the European financial crisis.
Celia was a member of Bristol Anti-Cuts Alliance and took part in a protest against BNP leader Nick Griffin when he was due to speak at Bath university.
Just a month ago, she was one several campaigners who handed in a petition to Wiltshire Council against the erection of a mobile phone mast in the town.
The Foreign Office is providing assistance to her family, who are believed to be travelling to Greece.
There are more than a million stray dogs in Greece after many were abandoned by their owners following the financial crisis.