The local tourism board runs a website with webcams

A tourist lost in the dark on a frozen sea in northern Germany has been rescued after flashes from his camera were spotted on a beach webcam.

The man, who has not been named, had become lost after walking onto ice off St Peter-Ording to photograph a sunset, police in the North Sea area said.

A woman watching the sunset via webcam hundreds of kilometres away in southern Germany noticed the flashes.

She alerted police who were able to guide the man to safety.

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

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

Ms 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.