German couple found murdered

Port of Spain - An elderly German couple was found murdered on a beach near their home in the southern Caribbean island of Tobago on Saturday, according to police.

The bodies of 74 year old Conrad Keale and his 71 year old wife Bridgette Keale bore marks of violence, police said.

A television report said the bodies appeared to have chop wounds. Police said the couple, regular visitors to the tourist island that is part of Trinidad and Tobago, arrived on 25 October. They had been staying at their home in Bacolet on the south west coast.

They were last seen alive on Friday evening. Police said a gardener arrived at their home on Saturday morning and when he could not find them, went to a nearby beach, where he discovered the body of Bridgette Keale. The police were called and the second body was found on the same beach.

The murders are reminiscent of another double slaying in October 2008 of an elderly Swedish couple, 73-year-old Ake Olsson and his 62-year old companion Anna Sundsval. Their mutilated bodies were found in a villa which they owned.

Tobago, with a population of about 60 000, is a popular holiday destination for Europeans particularly Germans and British.