After 20 days of silence, search efforts are underway in the Romanian mountains for five missing Ukrainians.

In Romania, rescuers are searching for five Ukrainians who attempted to cross the border through the mountains. They have been out of contact for 20 days.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Digi24.

Mountain rescuers from Maramureș, along with border police, set out into the mountains today, January 31, to locate the five Ukrainians who were divided into two groups. They traveled to Romania three weeks ago.

Their families have filed a missing persons report, noting that they may have already arrived in Romania and have not been heard from for 20 days.

"Unfortunately, the relatives were unable to provide any leads that could assist in the search, only suggesting that the missing individuals were traveling along specific routes that would lead them to the area of Mount Pop Ivan, which is one of the most challenging and dangerous zones," the rescuers stated.

To find the missing Ukrainians, rescuers utilized drones, but after six hours, the search was called off.

Ukrainians Crossing the Border Illegally

It is worth noting that Ukrainian men are attempting to flee the country illegally. In particular, they are doing so in mountainous areas.

In December, it became known that Romanian rescuers found a Ukrainian in the mountains near the border with Ukraine who nearly froze to death.