Two young Germans are missing in the Netherlands after jumping into the Maas river because a mobile phone fell into the water.
In the Dutch city of Venlo on the border with North Rhine-Westphalia, rescue workers deployed a large contingent to search for two young men from Germany who had jumped into the Maas and were unable to get out.
Three men were on the river bank on Sunday morning when one of them dropped his cell phone into the water, police said. The man then jumped into the water, and another man jumped 30 meters further into the river to help him. The third man jumped a little further into the Maas to help the other two. Only a 36-year-old man from Venlo managed to free himself from the river under his own power.
Two men from Germany, aged 21 and 22, were swept away by the strong current of the Maas. The fire brigade searched for the missing people with divers, a helicopter and a special boat. Due to the current of the river, the search was extended to the neighboring town of Velden.
The search was called off on Monday afternoon. A decision will be made today as to whether it will be resumed.
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