A TOURIST lost in the dark on a frozen sea off Germany was rescued after flashes from his camera were spotted on a beach webcam.

The man had become lost after walking onto ice off St Peter-Ording to photograph the sun setting, police said. A woman watching the sunset via webcam hundred of miles away in southern Germany noticed the flashes. She alerted the police who were able to guide the man to safety.

The photographer, a German tourist in his 40s, could have frozen to death to fallen through the ice, according to the police.

“He got lost on the ice and could not find the coast again because it was covered in snow,” spokesperson Kristin Stielow told reporters.

Stielow said local people were well aware of the risk of disorientation as darkness fell and the beach became hard to locate , but vivid sunsets over frozen landscapes often drew people away from the shore.

St Peter-Ording is a popular tourist destination known for its beaches and sailing, and the local tourism board runs a website with webcams.

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