CARMELA FONBUENA, REPORTING: Abdullah, his son, and some of his friends stick together.



ABDULLAH LINOGAMAN, MARAWI RESIDENT: We escaped from Tulali. We spent two days in the mountain. There's nothing to eat there. Just water. I told my companions we needed to find a way to escape.



CARMELA FONBUENA, REPORTING: They decide to sneak out through the Agus river, brave the strong currents and swim their way to safety.



ABDULLAH LINOGAMAN, MARAWI RESIDENT: I said, don't run even if helicopters pass by. We might get mistaken for ISIS.

They followed my instructions.



CARMELA FONBUENA, REPORTING: They swim for an hour until they reach a riverbank near the city hall. The soldiers are there.

But wait.

First, they have to wash their clothes by the river.



ABDULLAH LINOGAMAN, MARAWI RESIDENT: We took a bath. We washed our clothes. We couldn't smell our clothes anymore.