US tourist dies on popular hike in outback Australia Published duration 11 January 2018

image copyright MICHAEL BARRITT/WA TOURISM AND CULTURE image caption The man died at Mount Sonder on Australia's popular Larapinta Trail

A US tourist has died while hiking in hot weather on a popular trail in the Australian outback.

The man, 33, was found dead on the last leg of the Larapinta Trail on Wednesday, police in the Northern Territory said.

He had set out early with a companion to scale Mount Sonder - a gruelling section of the trail - but the pair became separated, authorities said.

His body was discovered hours later, about 750m (2,500ft) from a car park.

"[Mount Sonder] is about 1,300 metres tall and the actual walk that they undertook was about 16 kilometres there and back," Supt Rob Burgoyne said.

The 223km Larapinta Trail is a popular trek through rugged bush west of the city of Alice Springs, where temperatures reached 42C on Wednesday.

Police said the US consulate had been notified and a report would be prepared for a coroner.