Fears for missing Brit tourist last seen in Spain a week ago as desperate family appeal for help

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:42, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 10:54, 16 July 2026 The family of a missing British tourist have launched an appeal after he disappeared while on holiday in Spain.  British man Cormac has not been seen since he visited Palomares in the Almeria region of Spain's southern coast.  His sister, Sarah Arney, has urged anyone with information to step forward in the hopes of finding Cormac, who she says has not returned home as expected after travelling to Spain.  In a social media post shared on Wednesday, she said it is believed her brother was last seen on July 8.  She wrote: 'Hi. Please can you help- my brother, Cormac, was holidaying in Palomares in Almeria but has not returned home when expected.  'We believe he went missing around the 8th July. Please can you share or let me know if you have seen him or information about his whereabouts.  'He is about 5ft 9, brown hair and glasses. We have notified the police and FCDO, but any help would be really appreciated.' Sarah told the Spanish Eye that the UK's foreign office had spoken to police, who do not believe that Cormac was caught up in the wildfires that tore through the region last week. Cormac (pictured) has not been seen since he visited Palomares in the Almeria region of Spain's southern coast The fires have so far killed at least seven Britons, with one victim feared to be a woman who bought her home on 'A Place in The Sun'.  Twelve of the 13 victims of the blaze were foreign nationals, the authorities said on Tuesday after completing post-mortem examinations. In a statement, officials said seven were from the United Kingdom, three from Belgium, and one each from France and the United States. The last victim was a Spanish citizen. Annette Kilgore, who appeared on the Channel 4 reality show, is feared to be among the Brits who died after she became separated from her husband amid the inferno. The 69-year-old lived in the village of Bédar with her husband Malcolm Timbrell, 70, after the couple moved there from Cornwall following their appearance on the hit series in 2023. Channel 4 host Jasmine Harman shared a tribute to Kilgore after hearing the tragic news. 'Some awful news. You may have seen on the news that Spain has been experiencing some terrible wildfires, and I was so sad to hear of the tragic deaths of several people in Bédar,' she wrote. 'Sending deepest condolences to those [who] have lost loved ones. Especially to Malcolm who previously appeared with his wife Annette on A Place in the Sun.  'I don't really have the words to say how very sorry I am for your loss Malcolm. I know we have never met, I can't imagine what you are going through right now. Sending thoughts and prayers.' Harrowing photographs show how British wildfire victims ran out of road while fleeing down dirt tracks to escape a deadly blaze in Spain  Firefighters of the Infoca (Andalusia Wildfire Service) work to extinguish fire in the area of a wildfire that killed at least 13 near Bedar, in Los Gallardos district, in Almeria Province, July 10 Bédar, a municipality of the Almería province in the south, was ravaged by flames last Thursday in one of Spain's deadliest fires in recent years.  Flames fanned by high winds ripped through forests and scrubland made tinderbox dry by extreme high temperatures, turning picturesque rural settlements into ghost towns. Emergency services initially recovered 12 bodies that were so badly burned that DNA samples were needed to identify them. The fire, one of Spain's deadliest in recent years and caused by an electrical cable falling on a road, devastated some 7,000 hectares (more than 17,000 acres) of land. The fire has since been brought under control and residents have been able to return to their homes since Sunday. Spain has in recent years experienced increasingly long and frequent heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding 40C, creating perfect conditions for wildfires. In 2025, more than 393,000 hectares were destroyed by fire, according to the European Forest Fire Information System - the most in Spain's recent history.   The Daily Mail has approached the Foreign Office for comment.