Forensics carry out tests on body as Brazil police investigate possibility that it might be missing Greek ambassador.

The discovery of a body in a burned-out car in Rio state has sparked fears that it might be that of the Greek ambassador to Brazil.

Kyriakos Amiridis had been missing for three days and was last seen on Monday in the Baixada Fluminense region north of Rio de Janeiro.

The car, which had licence plates matching that of the rental car the 59-year-old was using, was found on Thursday in the Nova Iguacu district of the Brazilian capital, the news website G1 reported, citing police.

The website published photos of the burned car found on the slope of a busy suburban thoroughfare. It reported that police “suspected” the body inside to be that of the ambassador.

Amiridis had been on holiday with his family in Rio de Janeiro’s northern Nova Iguacu area since December 21.

He was due to fly back to Brasilia on January 9, a Greek embassy official told AFP news agency.

But he went missing after he left the apartment he was renting and took the car, according to Brazilian media. His Brazilian wife formally declared him missing on Wednesday.

The Greek foreign ministry had earlier issued a statement saying that after Amiridis was declared missing, saying “the full mobilisation of all the competent Brazilian authorities was requested”.

Amiridis was named ambassador this year. He had previously served as Greece’s consul general in Rio from 2001 to 2004.

He served as Greece’s ambassador to Libya from 2012 to 2016.

He is married and has a daughter, according to the embassy in Brasilia.