Australia’s prime minister mourns the “tragic” deaths of surfers killed in Mexico

“This is a tragic incident and I think all the family and friends of these young Australians are with you in their thoughts at this difficult time.”

Albanese said he wanted to speak to the brothers’ family “at a convenient time of their choosing.”

Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad had been on a surfing trip to the Pacific coast of Mexico before their deaths.

Their bodies were officially identified by relatives in Mexico on Sunday.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement to AFP that she was “heartbroken” for the Robinson family.

“Our embassy in Mexico continues to work with the Australian Federal Police and local authorities,” she said.

The three bodies were found in an “advanced state of decomposition” in a shaft on a cliff with gunshot wounds to the head, investigators previously said.

Authorities believe the men were murdered while trying to steal their pickup truck, prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade said at a news conference Sunday.

The burned vehicle was found nearby.

According to Mexican prosecutors, three suspects, two men and one woman, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the case.

Callum Robinson’s Instagram page featured several images from the men’s trip to Mexico: enjoying beers with their feet up at a bar, lounging in the hot tub, eating roadside tacos and looking out at the surf.

On social media, his distraught girlfriend shared a black and white photo of the couple kissing with the message: “You are one of one. I will love you forever.”

In another photo she shared, in which the two are seen hugging, she wrote: “My heart is shattered into a million pieces. I’m at a loss for words at the moment.”

According to Australian media, Jake Robinson was a doctor in Perth.

Baja California is known for its inviting beaches and resorts that are popular with US tourists.

It is also one of Mexico’s most violent states due to organized crime and drug trafficking, although cartel activity does not typically affect foreign tourists.

Criminal violence has claimed 450,000 lives and led to the disappearances of more than 100,000 in Mexico since late 2006, when the government launched a controversial anti-drug strategy involving the military.

lec-arb/sco