Human remains found in Japan have been identified as those of a six-year-old girl missing since the massive earthquake and tsunami of 2011 , police said Friday.

The disaster killed 15,900 people, with 2,520 people still listed as missing as of the end of February, according to the National Police Agency.

Teeth and fragments of jaw were discovered in February 2023 in the northern region of Miyagi, a spokesman for the local police told AFP.

"After dental and DNA identification analyses, it was confirmed the remains belong to Natsuse Yamane, female, who was six years old at the time," he said.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis and an examination of proteins on the teeth confirmed the girl's identity, the Japan Times reported , citing the Miyagi police. Experts at Tohoku University assisted

See Full Page