US law enforcement authorities are seeking six teenagers from Burundi who went missing after a robotics competition in Washington DC. Two of the children had been spotted crossing the border into Canada.
The teens, aged 16 to 18, were last seen Tuesday after the First Global Robotics Challenge in Washington DC, police said.
“We have been in touch with the Metropolitan Police Department; they told us that they are doing what they can to find those teens,” said Benjamin Manirakiza, first counselor in the Burundi Embassy in Washington. “We have confidence in the capacity of the police.”
A Washington police spokeswoman said the teenagers’ disappearance was still under investigation on Friday, and declined to say which US state they were spotted crossing from.
The teens left their hotel room key cards in a chaperone’s bag, but took their clothes with them when they left, according to First Global, the US non-profit that organised the competition. Police have said they do not believe foul play was involved.
Two of the teens – Audrey Mwamikazi, 17, and 16-year-old Don Ingabire – were spotted crossing the United States border into Canada. The other missing Burundians were named as Nice Munezero and Kevin Sabumukiza (both 17); Richard Irakoze and Aristide Irambona (both 18).
Officials at Canada’s Border Services Agency, the immigration and refugee ministry and the Burundian embassy in Ottawa, said they had no information on the teens’ whereabouts. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police declined to comment on their whereabouts and said that anyone who crossed the border illegally would be returned to border services.
“Crossing the Canadian border without reporting at a port of entry is illegal,” said spokeswoman Annie Deslile. “If the individual who has illegally entered between ports of entry claims to be a refugee, he/she is then transported to a port of entry.” A spokeswoman for US Customs and Border Protection said the agency had no information about the missing teens.
High school students from more than 150 countries took part in the competition. An all-girl squad from Afghanistan drew worldwide attention when President Donald Trump intervened after they were denied US visas.
Burundi has long been plagued by civil war and other violence. Fighting has killed at least 700 people and forced 400 000 from their homes since April 2015.
They went missing 7/18. Have info? Call #MPD at 202-727-9099/ text 50411. Photos can be found here: https://t.co/Z9xbN2gtNp #MissingPerson pic.twitter.com/hg1bfbGwtd
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) July 20, 2017
The teenagers all have one-year visas, officials say. The Burundi embassy in Washington said in an email that officials there had not known there was a team from their country in the United States until after the teenagers were reported missing.