Thirty-seven people have gone on trial in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo for the lynching of two Europeans and a local man wrongly accused of killing a young boy.

Residents of Madagascar’s tourist island of Nosy Be went on the rampage on 3 October, 2013, after the body of an eight-year-old local boy, who had been missing for a week, was found on a beach.

Incensed by false rumours of foreign involvement and a link with paedophilia , a mob attacked Sebastien Judalet, a French tourist, and Roberto Gianfalla, a Franco-Italian resident of the island, and beat them before burning them on a beach. The uncle of the dead boy was also killed and burned later the same day.

The judge adjourned the case on Tuesday because two police officers charged in connection with the killings failed to appear in court. The officers are accused of failing to intervene to prevent the attack. Their lawyer said they had not received a summons to appear in court.

The other defendants are accused of premeditated murder, illegal confinement, torture and disturbing the peace.

Famous for its pristine white sandy beaches and turquoise waters, Nosy Be is Madagascar’s main tourist magnet but has been plagued by sex tourism.

“We’ve been waiting for this trial for two years,” said Andre Randranto, an attorney for one of the victims, said. Mob justice is common in Madagascar, which authorities struggle to police effectively.