The remains of a woman who went missing in the devastating and deadly 2011 tsunami in Japan have recently been found and identified, police said on Friday (March 5), days before the tenth anniversary of the disaster.
"Skeletal pieces, including a skull, were found on February 17"
on a beach in Miyagi department (northeast), a local police spokesperson told AFP.
Dental and DNA analyzes carried out this week by forensic scientists revealed that it was Natsuko Okuyama, a 61-year-old woman who had disappeared in the tragedy of March 11, 2011, the spokesperson said.
2,500 people still missing
The confirmed death toll of the 2011 triple disaster in Japan (earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear accident) stood at 15,899 dead in December 2020, according to Japanese police.
But more than 2,500 people are still officially missing ten years later, preventing many people from mourning their loved ones whose bodies have never been found.
Local media quoted Natsuko Okuyama's son as thanking the person who found the remains.
"I am extremely happy that my mother has been found as the 10th anniversary approaches
," he said according to Kyodo news agency.
"This will allow me to put my emotions in order and move forward
.
"
