  We report the discovery of the optical and near-infrared counterparts to GRB
001011. The GRB 001011 error box determined by Beppo-SAX was simultaneously
imaged in the near-infrared by the 3.58-m New Technology Telescope and in the
optical by the 1.54-m Danish Telescope ~8 hr after the gamma-ray event. Here we
implement the colour-colour discrimination technique proposed by Rhoads (2001)
and extend it using near-IR data as well. We present the results provided by an
automatic colour-colour discrimination pipe-line developed to discern the
different populations of objects present in the GRB 001011 error box. Our
software revealed three candidates based on single-epoch images. Second-epoch
observations carried out ~3.2 days after the burst revealed that the most
likely candidate had faded, thus identifying it with the counterpart to the
GRB. In deep R-band images obtained 7 months after the burst a faint
(R=25.38+/-0.25) elongated object, presumably the host galaxy of GRB 001011,
was detected at the position of the afterglow. The GRB 001011 afterglow is the
first discovered with the assistance of colour-colour diagram techniques. We
discuss the advantages of using this method and its application to error boxes
determined by future missions.

Astrophysics