Missing Australian surfers update: Police fears two bodies found in burnt van in Mexico might be theirs

Two bodies in a burnt out van have been discovered in Mexico, raising fears that they could belong to the two Australians surfers who have been missing for more than a week. The van, where the bodies were discovered, was similar to the one being driven by the duo, according to a witness.

Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, both 33, were last seen on Nov. 20 at an all-night convenience store in Los Mochis, a coastal city in Mexico. According to the witness, the men seemed to be in a hurry and wanted to buy a map.

The next morning, an identical Chevrolet van was discovered in a severely burnt condition in Navolato, which is about 200 kms from the convenience store that they were seen the night before. A bicycle was also found strapped to the van, which bore similarity to the one that was taken by Lucas and Coleman on their trip.

The bodies could not be identified by the police on their initial investigation and have now been taken to Mexico’s Forensic Medical Services for identification.

Friends of the duo are looking to work with the Mexican authorities to find out what could have happened to them. An online fundraiser with intention to support the families of the surfing tourists have received a donation of over US$ 28,000 (AU$39,000) from 298 people in 15 hours since it was created on the GoFundMe site on Sunday.

Families of the missing duo would be visiting Mexico to assist Mexican police and consular officials in their investigation.

Andrea Gomez, Coleman’s Mexican girlfriend, said she and Josie Cox, Lucas’ partner, would be travelling to the Sinaloan capital of Culiacan to identify the men.

“Everything points to it being them because the van matches, it had a bicycle,” Gomez told the Associated Press.

The pair, who hailed from Golden Bay in Perth’s south, was supposed to visit Gomez in Guadalajara on Nov. 21. Navolato, located in Sinaloa in north-western Mexico, is known for the notoriety of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel.

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