Searches are continuing in Ingushetia for two local men who disappeared without a trace five days ago. Police and relatives have so far failed to find a trace of the missing men, according to the Ingush Interior Ministry.

The missing men are Ilyas Teboyev, 20, and Khavazh-Bagaudin Kartoyev, 19, who disappeared on 19 July. Searches began the following day, a spokesperson for the ministry told OC Media.

The young men’s fathers were the first to sound the alarm after the two failed to return home in the evening. They say that that they cannot think of a single reason why the pair could have gone missing.

Police are still deciding whether to initiate a criminal investigation into their possible abduction, or for joining the Islamic State in Syria, a source in the ministry told OC Media.