Authorities in England are appealing to the public for help locating four Albanian teenagers who have been reported missing after being placed in the care of local social services.

According to information published by the charity Missing People the four teenagers were all 17 when they went missing.

Bledar Ismailaj, who was living in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, was reported missing in 2018.

Ervis Ndreca, also 17 at the time, went missing from social services in Hove, East Sussex, on July 14, 2022.

Akil Dervishi, from the Sussex area, was last seen on May 4, 2022.

Authorities are also seeking information about Denis Haliaj, who was accommodated in Manchester after arriving in the UK. His last known contact was on August 15, 2021.

The cases have renewed attention on the vulnerability of unaccompanied Albanian minors in England. A BBC report from December 2022 said that up to 20% of Albanian migrant children placed with local authorities in England that year had subsequently been classified as missing.

Kent County Council had received 197 unaccompanied Albanian children by October 31, 2022, with 39 later recorded as missing.

British media reports have highlighted concerns that missing unaccompanied minors may be vulnerable to human trafficking, modern slavery and criminal exploitation, including forced labour and involvement in cannabis farms and so-called “county lines” drug networks.