The Austrian woman and Norwegian man, both in their 20s, plunged to their deaths from a 600-metre (2,000ft) cliff called Prekestolen, or Pulpit Rock, a tourist attraction in west Norway. Police said their names would not be released.

Their bodies were recovered on Tuesday halfway down the cliff after hikers the day before reported an empty tent near Stavanger, some 200 miles west of Oslo.

"We have ruled out anything criminal and there is nothing to suggest that this was an accident. Draw your own conclusion," Kjell Hanto, of the local sheriff's office, said.

Verdens Gang, Norway's largest newspaper, said a 19-year-old woman contacted police on Tuesday to say that the two victims had agreed via the internet to jump together. She said she knew because she had also been in contact with the man.

The 19-year-old told Verdens Gang that the man contacted her after she posted a message on an internet news group seeking someone to die with. The man sent a similar message on February 9.

In his response, the Norwegian said he had agreed to jump from Prekestolen with an Austrian woman, and that he was sorry that could not include her, the report said.

The newspaper said the Austrian woman had travelled by train and air to Stavanger. The two then took a ferry and a taxi to the trail on Saturday.