Elderly German couple found hacked to death on Tobago beach

Police are investigating the murder of an elderly German couple found hacked to death on a beach near their home in the southern Caribbean island of Tobago.

Hubertus Keil, 74, and his wife Birgid, 71, had been visiting Tobago, part of the twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, for the past 15 years and were well known, the Tobago House of Assembly said in a statement published in local media on Sunday.

"Their deaths come as a shock to all of Tobago," the statement added, noting that crime was on the decline.

"The police have already set up a high-level team to pursue the investigation, with the aim of bringing to justice whoever is responsible for the Keils' deaths."

Media reports said the bodies appeared to have suffered chop wounds. Police said the couple arrived on October 25 and had been staying at their home in Bacolet on the southwest 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 Birgid Keil. The husband's body was nearby.