Tourists missing in Western Australia

PERTH - Eleven foreign tourists are still missing in a remote national park in Western Australia.

Police, State Emergency Service personnel and ambulance crews were called to Knox Gorge in the rugged Karijini national park in the state's northern Pilbara region about midday yesterday.

A tourist from the party of 16 had called for help after a 34-year-old Japanese man fell into the gorge and lost consciousness.

When emergency crews arrived at the remote gorge the man had managed to climb back up to the top despite suffering neck, head and chest injuries in the fall. He was taken to hospital.

Another 11 foreign tourists from the bus -- who are believed to be different nationalities -- are now missing in the park.

State Emergency Service personnel, police and park rangers from the Department of Conservation and Land Management were preparing to resume the search at first light today.

SES district manager Peter Cameron said the temperature would have dropped to just a few degrees or less in the park overnight.

"The latest indication was it would have got down to around about maybe four degrees," he told the Nine Network.

"In the gorge where the people are missing, where the group is missing, it might be a bit colder.

"If they huddle together and keep body warmth and hopefully ... they will be able to keep a bit of warmth even though it may be uncomfortable for them."

Mr Cameron said Joffrey's Gorge would be the first to be searched by the team.

The other four tourists in the party have told police many of them had been swimming in a gorge yesterday.

The network of gorges in Karijini are popular with tourists for their rugged beauty, but hiking in the area can be difficult.

Late 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 after a fall.

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

- AAP