Hundreds of asylum seekers have vanished from reception centres in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate in the past 18 months, authorities have confirmed.
The state’s Integration Ministry in Mainz said 923 people were recorded as having an unknown whereabouts between July 1, 2024 and the end of last year.
Officials described the cases as people who are “absent without trace”, and said they are not receiving state benefits.
The head of the authority overseeing asylum reception centres, Thomas Linnertz, told lawmakers that the missing migrants had not been located, and that investigations are ongoing.
State Secretary for Integration Janosch Littig, from the Greens, said procedures at the reception centres are now being reviewed, as officials look for ways to improve monitoring and reporting.
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