Photo: A screenshot from media reports

Police in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, utilized thermal imaging technology on a drone to locate a 71-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease who had gone missing, according to local media reports on Monday.

A local police station in Suzhou recently received a call reporting a 71-year-old Alzheimer's patient missing. The man had left home early in the morning, and despite hours of searching by his worried family, he had not been found.

After receiving the call, the police quickly launched an emergency response, accessed surveillance video near the location of the incident. After careful investigation, they finally determined that the man disappeared into a vast nearby field.

Considering the challenging weather conditions and terrain, the police made the strategic decision to deploy a drone for assistance. The drone's thermal imaging technology was swiftly employed for an aerial search, ultimately leading to the successful identification of the man's precise location.

Following a swift rescue operation by the police and rescue workers, the elderly man was safely retrieved. Although he showed signs of weakness due to heat stroke, his condition was not life-threatening. The family expressed gratitude and thanked the rescuers, according to the report.

Global Times