KATHMANDU: More than 21,000 people including children disappeared from across the country in the past 12 years, Children Search Coordination Centre's (CSCC) statistics revealed.

A total of 1,608 children have gone missing from around the country in eight months of the current fiscal year.

The disappeared, mostly children (10,462 male and 10,973 female), fall between the age group of five to 18 years said CSCC's Chief, Deputy Superintendent of Police Sitaram Rijal. "The whereabouts of a total of 539 disappeared people were found in nine months in the current FY, and all of them were handed to their families."

CSCC had registered a total of 21,435 complaints in the FY 2063\64 BS and 2074\75 BS seeking status of disappeared persons, said an official.

Authorities cited poverty, human trafficking, societal barriers and family negligence among others as causes for disappearance of the people.