MEXICO CITY – The relatives of 646 people reported missing in Mexico have received assistance in the past four months, with 16 of the missing found alive and three others dead, the Special Prosecutor’s Office to Assist the Victims of Crime, or Provictima, said.

Missing persons reports from Mexico’s 31 states and Federal District have been investigated over the past four months, Provictima, which was created last year, said.

The special prosecutor’s office was created on Sept. 6, 2011, under an executive order issued by President Felipe Calderon to provide support to victims of serious crimes, such as disappearances, kidnappings, murders, extortion and people trafficking.

Provictima was created in response to demands from grassroots and civil society groups, such as poet Javier Sicilia’s Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, for assistance for victims of the drug-related violence in Mexico.

The highest number of requests for assistance came from Coahuila state, with 113 cases, followed by Tamaulipas, with 99; Nuevo Leon, with 69; Veracruz, with 61; Chihuahua, with 33; and Mexico City, with 28, Provictima said.

The fewest requests for assistance were received from Queretaro, Tabasco, Sonora, Tlaxcala, Guanajuato, Yucatan and Baja California states.

Of the 646 people reported missing, 479 are men and 167 are women, Provictima said.

Minors accounted for 64 of the missing, while 180 were between the ages of 18 and 29;, 104 were between 30 and 39; 56 were in the 40-49 age group; 27 were between 50 and 69; and two were 70 or older, with the age not specified in 213 cases, Provictima said.

Of the people reported missing during the period, 48 were students, 43 were workers, 30 owned businesses, 25 were employed as drivers and 190 worked in a variety of other fields, with the occupations of 310 people not reported, Provictima said.

The special prosecutor’s office provides relatives of missing people with free legal aid, psychological counseling, medical and other services. EFE