Mexican authorities search for missing Australian, US tourists

Aerial view of the beach, following the disappearance of two Australian tourists and one American tourist in Baja California, in Rosarito, Mexico May 2, 2024. According to local media, the missing tourists had booked accommodation in Rosarito but did not show up. REUTERS/Jorge Duenes

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican authorities said on Thursday they were searching at sea and on land for two Australians and one American reported missing in Baja California, one of the country's most violent states.

Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad were reported missing on April 29, according to Baja California's prosecutors' office, and were last seen on April 27.

The three were on vacation surfing in the municipality of Ensenada, about an hour and a half south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Since the disappearance was reported, the operation has been ongoing, and so far, a cell phone apparently belonging to one of the missing persons and a vehicle have been recovered," Jorge Argoud, operational deputy director of security in Ensenada, told Reuters.

State prosecutor Socorro Ibarra said three people are being investigated in regards to the case, though it remained unclear whether they were involved in the disappearance of the men.

Tents were found in the area the missing men were last seen, said Ibarra, adding that they were formally reported missing days after their actual disappearance.

"We have already contacted authorities in the United States and also in Australia because it is important in these cases to know the full context about the missing persons," Ibarra told journalists during a news conference.

People alleging to be related to the Australian brothers posted about their disappearance on social media last week. Relatives of the missing persons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Anthony Esposito. Editing by Gerry Doyle)