The soldiers fled after demonstrators attacked them with slingshots and sticks during a demonstration against the government of President Dina Boluarte in the city of Ilave, in the Puno region on Sunday.

Authorities said the bodies of Franz Canazas and Alex Quispe had been found in the Ilave river, a tributary to Lake Titicaca, which sits on the border between Peru and Bolivia.

Searches would continue "uninterrupted and will not end until all the missing soldiers have been found," said the defense ministry.

A local health network in the El Collao province in Puno had said on Sunday that it treated five soldiers suffering from hypothermia, who had been rescued from the river by local residents.

On Saturday, 16 people, including civilians and soldiers, were injured during clashes between protesters and the military in Ilave.

Peru has seen three months of protests since former president Pedro Castillo was ousted and arrested on December 7 after trying to dissolve parliament and rule by decree.

His supporters are demanding the resignation of Boluarte, as well as fresh elections, a new constitution and the dissolution of parliament.

At least 50 people have died and more than 600 have been injured in clashes between protesters and security forces in the last three months.