Sergeant [Alice Cockram] said police had serious concerns because of the intense cold in the desert at night, and it was unlikely they would have had thechance to dry off. “The water at the bottom of the gorge is extremely cold,” she said. “We doubt very much they have had a chance to dry off. Wherever they are, they are probably very cold.” The network of gorges in the Karijini National Park, although remote, are popular with tourists for their rugged beauty.

POLICE hold serious concerns for 11 foreign tourists who were missing last night in near-freezing conditions in a remote West Australian national park.

Emergency workers began a search for the tourists in the Karijini National Park in the Pilbara region in the state’s north early in the afternoon after one of theparty of 16 fell into a gorge.

But the search for the missing group was abandoned at 8pm West Australian time and will resume at first light today.

“We have serious concerns for their welfare,” said Acting Sergeant Alice Cockram.

She said the tourists, from several nations, had been wearing only light clothing.

“It’s (now) about 5C, it’s pitch black — just a sliver of a moon,” Sergeant Cockram said.

“Communications are shocking — you can get satellite phones to work, if you get in the right position and stay there.” Police, State Emergency Service personnel and ambulance crews were called to the Knox Gorge in the national park about midday by a tourist from the group after a 34-year-old Japanese man fell into the gorge and lost consciousness. When emergency crews arrived — a trip of about two hours from the nearest town, Tom Price — the man had managed to climb back to the top of the gorge despite suffering neck, head and chest injuries. He was taken to Tom Price Hospital where he was in a “fair” condition last night.

However, 11 other tourists from the group could not be found.

“It is very rugged country,” Sergeant Cockram said. “The distance to climb to the base of the gorge takes over half an hour and there is no designated route.” The four remaining tourists of the party — who last night were waiting on the tourist bus at the site — have told police many of them had been swimming earlier in the day.

Sergeant Cockram said police had serious concerns because of the intense cold in the desert at night, and it was unlikely they would have had the chance to dry off. “The water at the bottom of the gorge is extremely cold,” she said. “We doubt very much they have had a chance to dry off. Wherever they are, they are probably very cold.” The network of gorges in the Karijini National Park, although remote, are popular with tourists for their rugged beauty.

It is the second incident in three weeks in which a foreign tourist has been injured in a gorge fall in the Karijini National Park.

Last month, a 22-year-old German tourist lay injured for almost 12 hours on a cliff face of another gorge in the park as emergency crews tried to reach her following a fall.

She had broken her wrist and hurt her back when she fell while climbing down into the spectacular Hancock Gorge on May 21.

The woman had been bushwalking when she lost her footing while trying to climb down a ladder on the cliff face.

Metal ladders are placed into the steep cliff-face because they provide the only access into the gorge.