Elderly German tourist mysteriously disappears, after spouse found dead in Outback

SYDNEY: Police searching for an elderly German tourist lost for days in Australia´s scorching outback expressed "grave fears" for her safety Tuesday after her husband´s body was discovered in a remote area.

Northern Territory police were alerted to the missing couple on Sunday after a wildlife ranger noticed that their car parked at the isolated Trephina Gorge had not moved since Friday.

The body of 76-year-old Wilfred Thor was discovered Monday with emergency services still searching for his 73-year-old wife Gisela.

"Whilst there is still a glimmer of hope that the woman is alive -- if she was able to access water -- we still hold grave fears for her general safety," a police spokesperson told AFP.

"The search is continuing within a 500-metre (1640-feet) radius from where the man was found yesterday."

Police said the tourists likely wandered off a walking trail some 75 kilometres (47 miles) from Alice Springs, where temperatures were expected to top 37 C (100 F) on Tuesday.