TOKYO: Japan's National Police Agency said Friday that 2,529 people were still missing as of Sunday, nearly nine years after the March 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami.

The death toll from the disaster came to 15,899 in 12 prefectures, up by two from the previous year.

The number of people missing in six prefectures fell to four, with remains of two people identified.

Of the three hardest-hit northeastern prefectures, Miyagi had the highest death toll of 9,543, followed by Iwate with 4,675 and Fukushima with 1,614.

The combined death toll in nine other prefectures stood at 67.

Of all victims, 99.6 pct had been identified. But remains of 49 people in Iwate and eight in Miyagi remained unidentified.

The bones of the two people added to the death toll this year were found at a construction site in Iwate and in the ocean off Miyagi, according to the NPA.

Police sent over 1.42 million police officers and others to the three prefectures for assistance after the disaster. The program finished in March last year as public security there has improved, an NPA official said.

JIJI Press