German tourist found dead in Outback

The couple's hire car had been in a carpark at Trephina Gorge Nature Park for two days.

A German tourist has been found dead after he vanished during an Outback road trip near Alice Springs with his wife, who is still missing.

A ground-and-air search was launched yesterday after a ranger found a car thought to belong to the man and woman, aged 76 and 73 respectively, at Trephina Gorge.

The couple arrived in Australia at the start of the month and hired a car from Alice Springs Airport on February 9.

Police said they held "grave fears" for the couple after they disappeared in 40C heat in the Northern Territory.

Duty Superintendent Brendan Muldoon said a helicopter scanned the area for 7.5 hours on Sunday, and the search resumed yesterday at first light. NT Policeused trail bikes, horses, and people on foot to find the missing pair.

"It's very harsh conditions out there, we hold grave fears for their safety," he said before the man's body was found. "We'll definitely be pulling out all stops."

The ranger said the rental car had been in the carpark for two days, according to Territory Duty Superintendent Rob Burgoyne.

"He followed some tracks to a fence line, which had recently been washed away, and he believed that there were two persons who had walked from the vehicle," Supt Burgoyne said.

The couple arrived in Australia at the start of the month and hired a car from Alice Springs Airport on February 9.

Sometime the next day, they drove more than 70km east to Trephina Gorge.

Authorities are contacting the German consulate to try to find out more about the couple, including any possible medical conditions, and to contact their family. A helicopter was sent to scour the area yesterday while police, SES personnel and a park ranger searched on foot.