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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Megan Janetsky

Mexico says a third of 130,000 missing people might be alive, fueling criticisms by families

Mexico Missing People - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Mexico's government said in a new report on Friday that it has identified signs of life for a third of the country's 130,000 registered missing people, an announcement that was quickly criticized by a number of search groups which called it an attempt to undermine the depth of Mexico’s disappearance crisis.

The government said that by cross-referencing things like vaccination records, birth and marriage registries and tax filings, officials found that 40,367 people — around 31% of reported disappearances — showed some activity in government records since they'd been reported missing.

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