A father and his son of Maltese descent are feared dead by their relatives after falling victims of the raging bushfires in Victoria.

Two charred bodies, thought to be those of 57-year-old Fred Frendo and his 27-year-old son, Scott, were found on Monday close to their farm.

The Australian authorities have still to carry out forensic examinations to confirm their identity as the death toll in Victoria continued to rise and is likely to top 200.

Mr Frendo's sister-in-law, Antonia Frendo, who lives in Birkirkara, said she had been informed of the tragedy by a relative in the ravaged Australian state.

"They were trying to shield their farm from the flames when the fire burnt down a hayshed. They escaped the fire in their cars but it seems that Fred's car only managed to get through the gate before a burning tree fell onto the truck, which then crashed into another tree," Mrs Frendo said yesterday.

However, details remain sketchy given that Mrs Frendo's last information came via an e-mail sent to her yesterday morning from Australia.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that Fred had died but was unable to confirm Scott's death.

The Australian Red Cross said neither Fred nor Scott were on their list of victims but qualified that the police were handling confirmation of deaths and their job mostly dealt with missing or displaced people.

According to Mrs Frendo, Fred's body was found burnt in his truck while Scott's was found outside another car.

"This is a very difficult time for us, especially since the distance makes it extremely hard to be with them," she said.

In the meantime, the Australian police continued to comb through Victoria's blackened landscape searching for clues in the hunt for possible arsonists.

Victoria state Police Commissioner Christine Nixon launched the nation's biggest arson investigation, dubbed Operation Phoenix, vowing to catch anyone who started a blaze.

The bushfires, which swept through Victoria on Saturday night, were "suspicious" because there were no natural events such as lightning that would have sparked the blazes, the police said.

The authorities said anyone found guilty could face manslaughter or murder charges.

"The laws of the state provide that they can be put away and put away for life," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said. "My own personal view is they should be allowed to rot in jail. This is unspeakable murder on a mass scale."

The disaster area, more than twice the size of London and encompassing over 20 towns north of Melbourne, has been declared a crime zone by officials. Police tape flutters around charred houses where bodies have been found.

At least 181 people have been confirmed killed in the fires but officials say the toll will rise. "There are still a large number of people, in excess of 50... who the coroner believes are already deceased but are not yet identified," Victorian Premier John Brumby told reporters.

"This is going to be a significant number. It will exceed 200 deaths."

About 25 fires were still burning in Victoria yesterday, with a dozen towns placed on alert as strong winds flared.

"The fires are nowhere near controlled for people to let their guard down," said emergency official Kevin Monk.

Stories of horror, courage and luck emerged as shocked townspeople rallied to rebuild their shattered lives.

One woman told Australian television how she and her children survived by hiding in a wombat hole in the ground. Many Australian animals survive bushfires by burrowing.

The bushfire tragedy is the worst natural disaster in Australia in 110 years. The previous worst bush fire was the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 that killed 75 people.

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