Police have begun a search for two boys who went missing from an asylum seekers’ centre in Limburg at the weekend.

Henok Hagos, 15, and his 11-year-old brother Mahteme Mulu Hagos were reported missing from their accommodation at the Landsrade bungalow park in Gulpen on Saturday, the Telegraaf reports.

Officials said the disappearance of the two boys, originally from Eritrea, was wholly unexpected. ‘It’s very rare for people to go missing from asylum seekers’ centres,’ said a spokesman for refugee organisation Vluchtelingenwerk

‘It’s very worrying, particularly as such young children are involved,’ police spokesman Chris Timmermans said. ‘That’s why we’re putting a lot of effort into this investigation.

‘At the moment it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, but we’re gathering as much information as possible by talking to people from the asylum seekers’ centre and the family of the missing boys.’