Sydney, Feb 19 (IANS) Two 20-year-old backpackers, one from Britain and the other from France, have gone missing at a beach in Australia, police said on Tuesday.

The police have identified them as Hugo Palmer from the UK and his French companion Erwan Ferrieux, CNN reported.

The men's clothes, keys and wallets were found on Shelly Beach near Port Macquarie, in New South Wales, on Monday. The police also found their travel documents in a silver rental car parked nearby.

Police Inspector Michael Aldridge said the sea had been rough on Sunday when the two reportedly arrived in the beach town, almost 400 miles northeast of Sydney.

"Chances (of finding them) are exceptionally slim," he told the media.

--IANS ksk/mr