More than 17,500 people with dementia were reported missing in Japan last year which is a record high in the country, according to official data.
Quoting the National Police Agency, NHK World reported that 17,565 people diagnosed with or suspected of having dementia went missing in 2020. The figure increased from the previous year by 86, and has been rising since 2012.
According to agency officials, 527 of these missing people died and some were victims of traffic accidents. They add that 214 were not found last year.
NHK World further said that Police are working with local governments to step up measures to quickly find the missing people. They are promoting the use of a GPS tracker app and are setting up a mail service to contact neighbours.
( With inputs from ANI )
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