Close to 240 people reported missing during the last seven years are still unaccounted for, new figures have revealed.

Parliamentary figures tabled by Home Affairs Minister Michael Farrugia revealed that since the start of 2013, roughly 4,800 people have been reported missing. However, 238 still remain unrecovered.

While no distinction between nationality was made, a significant portion of missing persons is usually either undocumented migrants or refugees who never return to the island. However, there are still a number of Maltese on that list.

A report by The Times of Malta published last September found that in the last decade, at least 70 people who remained missing were Maltese.

When it comes to the ages of those reported missing, the large majority are under 18, account for around 55% of the total.  Meanwhile, when it came to genders, more men reported missing. However, the number of reported missing women is also high.

Once a person is reported missing, they will remain on the missing persons’ list until there is evidence to prove otherwise.

Missing persons can be discovered years and even decades later. Last July, Charlene Farrugia’s body was found hidden in bags at a Valletta ditch behind the Phoenicia Hotel, eleven years after she was reported missing.

Jean-Paul Charles Woods, the man who led police to the body, reportedly came clean about murdering Farrugia. However, he is yet to be charged.

Woods came clean while under detention at the Mount Carmel detention after he was arrested during an attempted robbery. He is currently serving seven years in prison for the crime.

Police were awaiting DNA tests to confirm their suspicions before charging Woods but it is unclear whether these results have arrived yet.

READ NEXT: Valletta Ditch Murder Suspect Yet To Be Charged Three Months After He Showed Police The Body