By Richard Mennear | Hartlepool Mail
THREE Ethiopian exchange visitors who had been staying in Hartlepool have vanished during a trip to the Houses of Parliament.
The three men were among a group of nine visitors who were staying with families in the town as part of a three-month visit to the UK.
They went to the capital to visit the corridors of power in a tour which Hartlepool MP Iain Wright was asked to help arrange.
But at the end of the day’s tour, the men failed to meet up with the rest of the group and organisers Global Xchange were forced to contact the police to report them missing.
Police and Home Office chiefs are now investigating their disappearance.
Organizers say their main concern is for the safety of the men, who have been named as Zerihun Weldeyohans, 24, Habtamu Debela, 27, and 21-year-old Muluneh Tilahun Abera.
It was at around 6pm when they separated from the rest of the group to buy telephone calling cards.
Programme supervisor Georgina Richards reported the men missing to the Metropolitan Police at 10pm when they failed to show up at their London hotel, where they were due to stay overnight before returning to Hartlepool.
Concerns grew further when the trio didn’t turn up for the 11am journey to Hartlepool the following day.
All three men have valid visas which do not run out until September 9.
Their families in Ethiopia have been informed.
The Global Xchange programme involves 18 volunteers, nine from the UK and nine from Ethiopia, living in Hartlepool while working for community organisations.
Zerihun is based at Cafe 177 and Headline Futures, Habtamu at the West View Project, while Muluneh has been working at Hartlepool United’s study support centre.
A statement released by the organisers said: “The British Council and VSO can confirm that three Ethiopian participants in the current Ethiopia Hartlepool Global Xchange have been reported missing.
“All three are male and aged between 21 and 24. The group had been on a trip to London to visit the Houses of Parliament. After the visit some of the group were socialising at the South Bank Centre but the three young men went their separate ways to purchase some telephone calling cards.
“They later failed to arrive at the homes where they were due to stay on the evening of Wednesday, July 15. They did not meet their colleagues for their return journey to Hartlepool.
“The young men have not made any contact with British Council, VSO or their project supervisors in Hartlepool and the primary concern is for their safety as they were on their first visit to London.
“The police have been informed and are treating this as a missing persons case. The police have undertaken standard inquiries to establish the location and safety of the young men.
“The programme is due to run until August 31, and the young people had not indicated that they intended to resign from the group. All three are in possession of valid visas and return flights.”
Mr Wright, who didn’t meet up with the group due to parliamentary business, said: “The purpose of the visit was to show visitors to this country the Houses of Parliament.
“It was organised by Global Xchange, and I hope that the three missing people are found as quickly as possible.”
A spokesman for the Home Office said they would only become involved if those involved stayed in the country longer than their visa allowed.