Mexico: Surfers found dead in well were shot in head

The bodies of three tourists found in a well in Mexico’s north-west all had bullet wounds to the heads, authorities say.

Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, 30 and 33, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, disappeared on 27 April while on a surfing trip in Ensenada.

Relatives of the three men identified their bodies on Sunday after travelling to Mexico to assist authorities, a state prosecutor said.

Officials believe the men were attacked as they were trying to fend off an attempted theft of their pickup truck.

The attackers wanted the vehicle for its tyres and shot the tourists when they resisted, Baja California state prosecutor Maria Andrade suggested.

Abandoned tents, a burnt white pickup truck and a phone linked to the missing tourists were found nearby.

They were found in a 4m (15ft) deep well about 6km (4 miles) from the site of the attack in the town of Santo Tomás on Friday.

A fourth body was found in the well but had been there longer and was unconnected to the case, officials said.

Three suspects have been detained on suspicion of direct or indirect involvement in the attack.

Earlier, the FBI said it was looking into the case and was in touch with international partners.

Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states, as local drug gangs fight turf wars.

But the Ensenada area, about 120km (75 miles) south of the US-Mexico border and known for its surfing conditions, is considered safer and has long attracted tourists from California.