Body of elderly man found at Trephina Gorge during search for missing German couple near Alice Springs.

The body of an elderly man has been found at Trephina Gorge, east of Alice Springs, Northern Territory Police have said.

Police have been searching for a 76-year-old German tourist and his 73-year-old wife who they believe have been in the Gorge since Friday.

Police believe the body to be that of the missing man, Wilfred Thor, but his wife Gisela has not yet been found.

Fears for the couple were raised on Saturday night after a ranger realised their car had not moved from where it was parked at Trephina Gorge, about 76 kilometres by road north-east of Alice Springs.

Dozens of police officers and park rangers have been scouring the gorge for the couple in a full-scale air and land search, using helicopters, horses, and quad bikes while others are searching by foot.

A police helicopter spotted the body of the man in bushland in the East McDonnell Ranges about eight kilometres from the parked car.

The couple are believed to have arrived in Australia one week ago, amid a heatwave that saw temperatures rise above 40 degrees Celsius on both Saturday and Sunday in Alice Springs.

Sergeant Phil Emmett, search and rescue mission coordinator for NT Police, said it was hot and harsh terrain.

“We found some footprints that identified an area of interest around about five kilometres to the north of the Trephina Gorge carpark — we had trackers following those prints for most of the day,” he said.

Police said the couple’s next of kin had been notified.

The search is expected to resume at first light today.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.