Kelly Smets and India Carreras, accompanied by two other Belgian teenagers, were wading in knee-deep water at about 5 p.m. when strong undercurrents swept them away, they said.
The four Belgian teenagers and three others were taking part in a community immersion program of the Belgian chapter of the Young Christian Workers in Dalupirip, one of the riverbank villages affected by the $1.2-billion San Roque multipurpose dam project.
The accident happened about an hour after the Belgian teens and other non-government workers from Manila arrived in the village.
Residents said they prevented the teenagers from taking a dip in the river and instead suggested a hot spring in Sitio Asin.
As of press time, the search for the two Belgians was still going on, civil defense officials said. — Artemio Dumlao, AFP