Two of the teens from the missing East African robotics team have been spotted crossing the border into Canada.

Don Ingabire, 16, and 17-year-old Audrey Mwamikazi, were part of the six-strong Burundi robotics team who disappeared after the FIRST Global Challenge competition in Washington DC on Tuesday.

A Burundian community leader in the US suggested the teens may be intending to seek asylum from Burundi - which has faced deadly political violence in recent years which has seen tens of thousands refugees flee to other nations.

They believe they will have a better chance of asylum in Canada which has a more welcoming stance on refugees than America, he said. Police confirmed there was no foul play in the teen's disappearance.

Police are still searching for the other four Burundian teammates, 17-year-old girls, Mwamikazi and Nice Munezero; Richard Irakoze and Aristide Irambona, both 18; Kevin Sabumukiza, 17; and Ingabire, 16.

Six members of the Burundi robotics team went missing in Washington DC after the FIRST Global Challenge competition (pictured are the six missing teens before they disappeared)

SEEN: Don Charu Ingabire (left) and and 17-year-old Audrey Mwamikazi (right) have been spotted crossing the border into Canada

They were last seen on Tuesday at around 5pm in the 1700 block of D Street, police said.

The team's mentor alerted FIRST Global President Joe Sestak that the team were missing who made the initial call to the police, according to a FIRST Global Challenge statement.

'Security of the students is of paramount importance to FIRST Global,' organizers said, noting that they ensure students get to their dormitories after the competition by providing safe transportation to students staying at Trinity Washington University.

The students 'are always to be under close supervision of their adult mentor and are advised not to leave the premises unaccompanied by the mentor.'

All six of the teenagers from Burundi, an East African nation of about 10 million people, have one year visas.

The competition's webpage about Team Burundi shows the six team members posing with a flag and says team members were selected from schools in Bujumbura, the capital city.

The team's slogan in Kirundi is 'Ugushaka Nugushobora,' meaning 'where there is willing is also the ability,' according to the page.

Police are investigating their disappearance and have asked for anyone who recognizes the youngsters to contact them. Authorities have tried to reach out to family members of the teens back in Burundi, but have not been successful.

Police are still searching for the other missing teens, including Nice Munezero, 17, (left) and Richard Irakoze (right)

The group, whose ages range between 16 and 18, had flown over to the US from Burundi in East Africa to compete in the First Global Challenge robotics competition; Aristide Irambona (left) and Kevin Sabumukiza (right)

The teens were last seen on Tuesday at around 5pm in the 1700 block of D Street, Washington (pictured)

It is not yet clear whether the other four teenagers will attempt to cross the border.

Hassan Ahmad, an immigration lawyer in northern Virginia, said that if the teens make an asylum application, then Immigration and Customs Enforcement could seek to detain the teens pending removal proceedings.

However, the teens would be eligible to seek bond and could stay in the country while they await their hearing - which can take years. And even if ICE declines to seek detention, it can take several years for applicants to have their formal interview to determine whether they are eligible for asylum.

Oscar Niyiragira, chairman of the United Burundian-American Community Association Inc., was not at all surprised to hear that some of the teens were heading to Canada.

While he had no direct knowledge of their situation, but assumed they were seeking asylum, and many in the community feel the odds are better in Canada, especially now that the Trump administration has taken a harsh stance on immigration.

However, he said he found the teen's departure disappointing and believes that his country's economic impoverishment, rather than political persecution, is the driving force in most people's decision to seek asylum from Burundi.

'Now I'm not saying the government does not commit some crimes. They do,' said Niyiragira, who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. 'But the situation in Burundi is not nearly as bad as it was in waves of violence in the '70s and the '90s,' he said.

The Afghanistan girls team competes in the First Global Robotics Challenge, Monday, July 17, in Washington

Team Iran, in green, show off their robot in the challenge- an international robotics event with teams from over 100 countries

Students from across the world, from Peru, to Russia, to Slovenia, and from across the African continent, meet during the FIRST Global Robotics Challenge, Tuesday

According to the United Nations, hundreds of people have been killed in Burundi, and both the UN and human rights groups accuse its security forces of abuses including killings and disappearances.

Burundi's government often dismisses the allegations, saying they are based on false information supplied by the regime's opponents.

Burundi's government had no immediate comment Thursday.

The competition, designed to encourage youths to pursue careers in math and science, attracted teams of teenagers from more than 150 nations.

A squad of girls from Afghanistan drew the most attention after they were twice rejected for U.S. visas and President Donald Trump intervened.

First Global, a not-for-profit charity, held the inaugural annual international robotics challenge in hopes of sparking a passion for science and technology among high school students around the world. It is an 'Olympics'-style competition in which one team from every nation is invited to participate.

Sixty per cent of the teams participating in the competition were founded, led or organized by women. Of the 830 teens participating, 209 were girls.

Ivanka Trump also attended the event, and shared pictures and videos of the Afghan team's robot on Instagram

And there were six all-girl teams, including the Afghan squad and teams from the United States, Ghana, Jordan, the Palestinian territories and the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Vanuatu's nickname: the 'SMART Sistas.'

When the competition wrapped up on Tuesday, the teams of teenagers from more than 150 nations were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in a variety of categories.

The gold medal in the 'courageous' category went to the South Sudan team and bronze to the Oman team, whose students are deaf. Poland got silver and Armenia bronze.

Next year's competition will take place in Mexico City.