Drones deployed to locate missing German tourist in Australia

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Police in Australia on Thursday deployed drones to help locate a missing German tourist, who disappeared two days ago.

Monika Billen, 62, was reported missing on Tuesday, a week after she was last seen by hotel staff in Alice Springs, Northern Territory (NT), reports Xinhua news agency.

Billen was slated to check out of the Desert Palms Resort and catch a flight to Darwin, capital of the NT, on January 5.

NT Police Acting Superintendent Pauline Vickery said that brochures found in Billen's hotel room suggested she was interested in local walking trails.

She said that Billen was clearly identifiable on footage captured by CCTV cameras outside the hotel on January 1.

Besides the drones, the police have also deployed motorbikes to search popular walking trails around Alice Springs for any sign of the missing woman.

"We continue to hope that we'll find her alive but we are gravely concerned about the recent hot weather conditions," Vickery said.

Authorities urged tourists and hikers to exercise caution over the New Year's period with temperatures in Central Australia topping 45 degrees Celsius.

--IANS

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