BEIJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's civil affairs authorities helped 10,195 people find their families in 2019, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said Sunday.

The ministry carried out trial work of facial recognition at rescue centers around the country, requiring all of those without clear identification be reported to police for DNA collection, said Wang Jinhua, a ministry official, at a press conference.

Compared with 2015, the number of people displaced for long periods of time was reduced by over 60,000, Wang said.

Civil affairs authorities also offered rescue and help to over 1 million homeless and beggars with no means of living in 2019, including 169,000 seniors aged above 60 and 156,000 with mental or physical disabilities.

Wang said civil affairs authorities and rescue centers around the country will step up joint patrol with relevant departments this winter for the safety of the homeless and beggars.