Stonyhurst College runaways: police search beaches in hunt for Edward Bunyan and Indira Gainiyeva The Foreign Office advises tourists that the crime rate in the Dominican Republic is "high," with tourists often mugged at gunpoint. Colonel Martinez insisted: "It is not dangerous, they should be safe as long as they are careful with their possessions and don't wear expensive jewellery and gold watches. I don't want to tell you they are 100 per cent safe but they will be if they are careful. Once they locate the runaways, the local police are expected to arrange for them to be reunited with their parents, who will have the final say about what happens to them next. It is unclear whether they have committed any crime, though as minors they must have permission from their parents to travel abroad. Edward, whose mother lives in Canada, and Indira, whose family own a chain of pharmacies in Kazakhstan, slipped out of school on Monday night, taking a taxi to Manchester Airport at 3am, where they boarded a flight to the Dominican Republic via Europe. Andrew Johnson, headmaster of Stonyhurst, said: "We believe the police have located them to an area of the Dominican Republic but we don't know for sure that the police have found them. We are waiting to hear any news. We really want to get them back and know that they are safe, but they need to be reunited with their parents and have a conversation with them. A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "We do have a rough idea where they are located. We are working closely with the teenagers' parents, who live abroad, and one is hoping to travel out to the island to meet them. When they are located, they will not be dragged back in handcuffs - instead it is our priority to locate them safely as they remain as being reported missing. The runaways have been lauded as heroes by some classmates, with one suggesting they were keeping up a school tradition known as "hen banter" which involved rebelling against school rules. One close friend said: "Hen banter is traditional among sixth form students - it's all about revolting against new rules and doing things to push boundaries. It is about upholding Stonyhurst traditional values. I think Edward must have had this in mind before embarking on his journey. And he's really taken it to a new level - it's safe to say they won't be going back to school in Stonyhurst after such a stunt. Another friend said: "Everyone's cheering the pair on and hoping they can go a bit further without being found - it's completely rocked the school's staff though." Both pupils are from wealthy, well-travelled families. Edward's father, John, was born in India in 1920 and moved between different countries where he had directorships. He married three times and died in 2007, aged 85. Edward's Spanish mother Susannah, John's third wife, lives in Canada. Indira's father Ravil, who lives in Kyszylorda, Kazakhstan, is a successful businessman who owns a chain of pharmacies in Kazakhstan and Russia. His page on a Russian social networking site includes pictures of Indira on family holidays in Egypt and India. Edward's half brother Michael, who is John Bunyan's son from his first marriage, said: "He is a fine lad, he has many positive attributes, and I thought he was going to be successful at school, but I haven't seen him since 2007."