Fears grow for safety of missing German tourist

Search: Husband speaks of anxious wait for news as search continues

Fears were growing for a German tourist who has disappeared while on holiday on the Fife coast.

Claudia Phillips was last seen leaving the house in which she was staying in Crail’s Nethergate at around 1pm on Tuesday, and has not been heard from since.

Concerns for the 51-year-old have been heightened amid suggestions she may have got into difficulties on the Fife Coastal Path as she was spotted walking towards Anstruther.

A sea search of the coastline, which started on Tuesday evening, was stood down as darkness fell, but an air and land search continued yesterday.

Her husband Donald, 51, originally from St Andrews, last night spoke of his anguish as he revealed the pair were due to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary on April 11.

The couple had been in Scotland visiting family with their 11-year-old daughter Claire, and were due to fly back home to the city of Darmstadt in Germany.

“We come back every year to see our loved ones and it was meant to be a nice relaxing week together, and obviously this has happened,” he told The Courier.

“She’s gone missing and we’re obviously hoping against hope that something does turn up for the better.

“Obviously a day has gone by and there’s no sign of her having been found, so I’m progressively pessimistic – but you would expect that.

“She’s never done it before, so it’s definitely out of character.

“Whenever something like this happens it’s extraordinary and your whole life stops.

“We were meant to be doing nice things today, going to St Andrews, meeting up with my brother and his family, but none of that has happened.

“We’re now wondering what life is going to be like.”

Claudia is described as white, 5ft 7in tall, with a slim build and grey wavy collar-length hair.

Police say they are keen to trace her as soon as possible as she is unlikely to know the area well.

“She left for a walk, she said she was going for a few minutes,” Mr Phillips said.

“After about 45 minutes she didn’t come back so I went searching for her.

“By about quarter to three, having searched for her down the coast and not found her, I contacted the police who have been magnificent since.”

Mr Phillips added his hopes that a distinctive pair of coloured trousers his wife was wearing at the time of her disappearance may jog someone’s memory.

“They were salmon pink, very fine corduroy that have maybe been washed one or two times too many, but nevertheless that colour is distinctive enough that somebody might have seen them,” he said.

“At the time she did go walking on the coastal walk, my worry is that it wasn’t as busy as it was later on at perhaps 3pm because people were still finishing off their lunch.

“I asked three people if they had seen her and they said no, but at the same time there were people playing on the rocks on the sea side of the path who I didn’t speak to.”

Two lifeboats from Anstruther were launched at 5.43pm on Tuesday following a request by HM Coastguard, and crews were out until around 9.30pm when bad light hindered the search.

Police Scotland can be contacted on 101.