Burned Mexican van linked to missing Australians surfers Published duration 1 December 2015

image copyright AP image caption The van was found in a rural area outside Navolato in Sinaloa

Mexican authorities say a burnt-out van found with charred bodies inside was registered to one of two Australian surfers missing since mid-November.

The vehicle was found last month in a rural area near Navolato in Sinaloa state, north-west Mexico.

Sinaloa Attorney General Marco Antonio Higuera said its plates matched those of a vehicle owned by Adam Coleman.

Relatives of the men are believed to be heading to Mexico to help identify the bodies using DNA and dental records.

Mr Coleman and his friend Dean Lucas, both 33, were living in Edmonton, Canada. They had driven down to Mexico and took a ferry from Baja California on 20 November, but failed to arrive in the city of Guadalajara the next day.

Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia was working closely with Mexican authorities.

"Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those two men who have been missing for some time, but I hold very grave concerns for their fate," Ms Bishop said.

Sinaloa state has been plagued by violence in recent decades, much of it linked to drug cartels battling to control the illegal drugs trade from South America to the United States.

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