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Family's fears for gap year worker missing in Africa
Jack Lefley, Evening Standard27.03.08
The family of a gap-year traveller who vanished in Africa almost two months ago said today his disappearance is a mystery.
Aydan Savaskan, 20, was due to return from Kenya last week after spending six months on the continent working and travelling.
But his worried parents have not heard from him since early last month when he is thought to have been in Benin in west Africa.
Scotland Yard has appealed for information about the missing man who is due to start university in September.
His father Sinan, of Herne Hill, said it was out of character for Mr Savaskan to go missing.
Mr Savaskan had been working at an orphanage in Nairobi organised by the Global Volunteer Network before leaving the programme to go travelling with friends.
His father said: "They seem to know that he spent a short time in Ethiopia and then he appeared in Togo. The last place anybody heard from him was in Benin at the beginning of February. He did not say why he travelled there.
"It is a mystery to us all. He said he was having a good time and there is no depression in his correspondence to friends.
"He is a sensible, careful guy. He is well read and interested in things and it is out of character for him to go missing like this."
Dozens of pictures of Mr Savaskan in Africa have been posted on the social networking site, Facebook.
Many messages from worried friends and family members urging him to get in touch have also appeared online.
Nezih Savaskan wrote: "Aydan... can you contact us please...? As soon as!! We haven't heard from you in too long, and we cannot get through to your phone!!"
Michelle Mettey wrote: "Aydan!!!! where are you silly?? I'm worried about you write to meee kissses!!!!"
Sinan Savaskan said several friends of the family were looking for his son in Africa.
He added that Mr Savaskan was intelligent, streetwise and fit. "He is a London boy, he knows his way around places. He travelled across London all his life on his own. He is not unfamiliar with big cities and strange corners of places. He is quite a strongly built guy. He can look after himself.
"He went to work for a volunteer organisation in Nairobi. He was building schools and helping with teaching in an orphanage."
The Metropolitan Police said Mr Savaskan may be in Africa, continental Europe or even back in Britain.
A spokesman said: "We are growing increasingly concerned for Aydan and investigations into his disappearance suggest he may have been travelling across Africa and beyond, perhaps passing-through countries including Kenya, Ethiopia and Togo across to Benin.
"His last known email correspondence on 3 February said he was staying in Benin, west Africa. There is nothing to suggest he is a fantasist with regards to the 3,000-mile journey he claimed in correspondence to have travelled.
"Aydan's family say that it is not in character for him to not stay in touch. We do not know where he is now and any information would be treated in confidence."
The New Zealand-based Global Volunteer Network was not able to shed light on Mr Savaskan's whereabouts.
Programmes manager Charisse Gebhart said: "We can confirm that Aydan was a volunteer with us and that he left the programme to go travelling. We don't know any more at this point."
Anyone with information should call police on 020 8721 3557 or contact the National Missing Persons hotline on 0500 700 700.
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