Scot on Noah's Ark quest may have been kidnapped by Kurdish rebels

THE family of a Scot who has gone missing in his quest to find the remains of Noah's Ark fear he may have been taken hostage by Kurdish rebels.

Donald Mackenzie was last heard from on Mount Ararat in a remote region near the Turkey-Iran border on 20 September.

His mother Maggie Jean Mackenzie of Stornoway, Lewis, said she fears the Kurdistan Workers' Party, best known as PKK, which is fighting for the creation of an independent Kurdistan, may have taken her son.

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The PKK is listed as a terrorist group internationally by a number of states and organisations, including the US and the European Union.

Mr Mackenzie, 47, was on a solo expedition to find the reputed site of Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat when he last contacted his family.

Mrs Mackenzie said: "Donald has no commitments - he is single, an adventurer and an explorer. He knows exactly what he's doing.

"I have wondered if he's been taken by the PKK. The Kurds have been very good to him in the past but times do change.

"I have been through so many scenarios about what could have happened to Donald. I have nightmares about the situation. I can't sleep at night. I am very worried. He's my rock. He's the sort of person you want by your side - he's so resourceful. That is the thread I'm holding on to."

Mrs Mackenzie said she also felt frustrated that a mountain rescue team had not been sent to look for her son.

"I just feel like my son is up that mountain and nobody is bothering," she said. "There are bandits of all kinds there, it's a very dangerous part of the world. It's frustrating, I just want all the big guns out."

Western Isles MSP Alasdair Allan said: "I've been in touch with the family a number of times and, understandably, they are keen to establish whether a mountain rescue operation has been mounted in Turkey.

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"The urgent priority is to make sure that everything that can be done in terms of searching the mountains is being done, including information being passed on to the family."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "We are providing consular assistance to the Mackenzie family and are in touch with the Turkish authorities."

He declined to comment on any possibility of PKK involvement in Mr Mackenzie's disappearance.

Mount Ararat, near Turkey's eastern borders with Iran and Armenia, is believed by some to be the final resting place of Noah's Ark. Mr Mackenzie has dedicated much of his life to uncovering the secrets of the legendary ark.

A friend called Musa who lives in a village at the foot of Mount Ararat raised the alarm after Mr Mackenzie failed to return as expected. Mr Mackenzie normally travels to the mountain every year to pursue his quest. The mountain is one of the most difficult climbs in Turkey, at a height of 16,854ft and its slopes have claimed many lives.