A search operation is under way to find a teacher who vanished while on holiday in Turkey.

David Cann, 56, from Portsmouth, went missing during a week-long break in the Dalaman area of the country.

He was last seen leaving the Happy Nur Hotel, in Hisaronu, on Tuesday July 2 after telling the manager he planned to go walking.

A holiday rep raised the alarm after Mr Cann, who teaches English as a foreign language, did not make his flight home and his belongings, including his passport, were found in his hotel room.

His nephew, London Fire Brigade firefighter Gavin Thomas, 35, and his wife Georgina, have now flown to Turkey to search for him.

Dave Cann search
Mr Cann’s family have put posters up in the area in a bid to trace him (handout/PA)

Mr Thomas said he may have injured himself while out hiking, although another holidaymaker told him three men tried to force him into a dark car on the same path Mr Cann is thought to have taken a week earlier.

“The initial thought is he may have fallen and he’s injured somewhere, unable to raise the alarm, that’s our primary thought,” he told PA.

“But obviously you can’t rule out something untoward going on. It’s a possibility, but we obviously don’t want to think like that.

“For whatever reason, he might have gone walking off somewhere and got lost.”

Mr Thomas said his uncle, who is single and has no children, often goes on holiday alone but his disappearance is completely out of character.

In the days before he went missing he had been paragliding and on a Jeep safari, sharing a beer with fellow hotel guests the night before he vanished.

“He told the guys at the hotel he was going off, but not to be in contact with anyone is completely not normal,” he said.

Gavin Thomas
Gavin Thomas said his uncle’s disappearance is completely out of character (handout/PA)

“Speaking to the guys at the hotel, he was in good spirits and having a good time.

“There was absolutely nothing to suggest anything different when he was at home.”

A large search operation is under way in the area involving a Turkish search and rescue organisation, the military and police.

More than 60 people, along with dogs, drones and mounted officers, conducted a search across a wide area of forest on Tuesday but no trace of Mr Cann was found.

His family think the best hope of finding him now lies in tracking his mobile phone, which stopped ringing on Monday, and they are pushing for Turkish authorities to use the technology.

“It’s such a vast area and the amount of time that’s passed means the search could be going further afield,” said Mr Thomas.

“He could have gone into a different resort so I would just ask people to keep an eye out.”

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are providing support to the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Turkey, and our staff are in contact with the Turkish authorities.”