The search for the tourist who went missing after renting an inflatable boat and taking it into the sea from the port of Latchi continued into its fourth day on Friday, with all attempts thus far to locate him having proven unsuccessful.

Friday’s official search party comprises a helicopter and an unmanned aerial vehicle from the National Guard, a helicopter from the police, who are also carrying out foot patrols on land, police boats, and unmanned aircraft and volunteers from the civil defence.

On Thursday, the joint rescue coordination centre (JRCC) expanded the search as far west as Cape Arnaoutis, the far northwestern tip of the Akamas national park, and as far east as the village of Pomos, near the Turkish Cypriot Kokkina enclave, thus encompassing the entirety of the Chrysochous bay.

Paphos police’s deputy operations director Michalis Nikolaou had earlier explained that the man, a 35-year-old Polish national, set off from the port of Latchi at around 10.30am on Tuesday.

Then, he said, at 4.30pm, the boat was spotted off the coast of the nearby village of Argaka, around 200 metres from the coast, with no one on board.

After this, he said, the police were “immediately informed” and that the JRCC had then enacted the “Nearchos” rescue plan with the aim of locating him.