Two Bangladeshi PhD students at the University of South Florida in the US state of Florida have been reported missing since last Thursday (16 April), prompting an ongoing search by local authorities.

According to a report by Prothom Alo, the missing students are Jamil Limon and Nahida S Brishti, both aged 27. The university’s police department formally disclosed their disappearance to the media on Tuesday (21 April).

Jamil is pursuing a PhD in geography, environmental science and policy, while Nahida is a doctoral student in chemical engineering.

Police said the two were last seen on 16 April in Tampa. Jamil was last spotted around 9am at his student residence near the university, while Nahida was last seen at around 10am at the Natural and Environmental Sciences Building on campus.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is currently leading efforts to locate the missing students.

Reports by US media outlets, including NBC News, said a family friend alerted authorities on Friday (17 April) at around 5pm after being unable to contact them. Following this, two missing persons reports were filed, and their names have since been entered into both state and national missing persons databases.

Authorities have not disclosed further details as the investigation remains ongoing, but police have urged anyone with information about the two students to come forward.

Citing police, local outlet FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported that the students are not in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.