BERLIN (AFP) - German police rescued a man who had been trapped for more than three days in handcuffs in an apparent "autoerotic accident", a spokesman said Thursday.

The spokesman for the police in the southern city of Munich told AFP that a neighbour concerned about the whereabouts of the 57-year-old man had contacted the authorities late Tuesday.

When the officers arrived at the home in the upscale Schwabing district and rang the bell, there was no answer and three days' newspapers were lying in front the door.

Through the mail slot, they saw a light was on in the flat and could hear "a faint, woozy murmur".

They broke open the door to find the man lying semi-conscious on the floor of his kitchen wearing underwear and women's boots, and restrained in handcuffs.

The officers were able to unlock the cuffs using a key found in the apartment and said there was no evidence of foul play.

"We assume it was an autoerotic accident that kept the Munich resident tied up in his apartment for more than three days," the police said in a statement.

The spokesman contacted by AFP said the man, who was weak and dehydrated when he was found, was still being treated in hospital on Thursday.

"He is not in a critical condition," the spokesman said, adding that the man was suffering from "sore spots" from lying in one position for an extended period of time.