The son of a pensioner who went missing for almost two days has expressed his gratitude to the Maltese public and police for finding his father. 

Michael Clarkson, 74, was found in Valletta on Sunday afternoon after being reported missing on Friday.

He had travelled to Malta with his wife Barbara and friends Jennifer and Peter Crowther to celebrate both couples’ wedding anniversaries: the Crowthers on Saturday and the Clarksons on Sunday.

But after he failed to return from a short walk close to the hotel and his travelling companions were unable to find him, they grew worried and contacted the police to report his disappearance while alerting the public through the news media and on social media. 

The former army officer and firefighter was subsequently found sitting on a bench in the capital on his wedding anniversary before being taken to hospital, his son Steve told Times of Malta.

Expressing his gratitude for the outcome, he said he was “amazed at the overwhelming kindness of people in Malta”.

He said that while he and his mother had been “preparing for the worst”, they “weren’t expecting such a good outcome”, but added his mother was still “very much in shock” after the incident.

Paying tribute to the emergency services, he expressed his thanks to the police for finding his father and the “absolutely fantastic” staff at Mater Dei.

Michael Clarkson, recovering in hospital, is seen with his son.

He said the AX Victoria Hotel in Sliema, where his parents were staying, had also been “superb; they’ve really looked after my mum”.

He said his father had been found after a stream of reports to police from members of the public throughout his disappearance but speculated that officers had only been able to locate him when he finally stopped and sat on the bench.

He’s very confused but incredibly jolly and very upbeat

Clarkson added that it appeared his father had been walking for almost two days since his disappearance.

He said the family had been “blown away” by the response to the news and social media coverage, which he credited with raising public awareness of his father’s disappearance: “From a news point of view, we’ve been truly humbled.”

His father’s disappearance was widely covered in Maltese media and in the family’s native Yorkshire in the UK.

Asked about his father’s condition, he said Michael had “no recollection of what happened; he’s very confused but incredibly jolly and very upbeat”.

He said that while his father had suffered from periods of forgetfulness and anxiety in the past, the incident in Malta was “so out of character; he’s never had an incident like this,” adding hospital staff were currently keeping him in for observation while they tried to discover what led to the episode.

He added that hospital staff believed his father to have suffered from a neurological episode at the time of his disappearance, noting he currently believed he was back in the UK after having already returned from Malta.

Clarkson said his father had been discovered suffering from malnutrition and dehydration, missing one of his front teeth and with cuts on his body, while missing his phone and the hoodie he was wearing when he disappeared.

The family is planning on flying back to the UK when his father is discharged from hospital, which the family has been told should be at the end of the week.

Clarkson said that while the incident had been challenging, “at least we have him back... we can’t believe he’s been found”.

He added that, “especially in the current climate, it’s nice to know there’s still so much kindness around”.