In a chilling discovery, a melting glacier in the Swiss Alps has yielded the body of a long-lost mountain climber who vanished 37 years ago. The finding was made on July 12th by hikers traversing the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt, Switzerland, as reported by the BBC. The remains were subsequently sent to the forensic medicine unit at Valais Hospital in Sion, where DNA analysis positively identified the climber as a 38-year-old German who went missing on the mountain in 1986, according to authorities.
Swiss police confirmed the climber’s identity in a statement, recounting that the German mountaineer had been reported missing after failing to return from a hike in September 1986. Though the police did not provide additional information about the circumstances of the climber’s death, they did share a photograph of a long hiking boot and crampons emerging from the ice, belonging to the missing individual. The phenomenon of receding glaciers in the region has led to a surge in similar discoveries, with more mountaineers from the past being unearthed, whose disappearances were reported decades ago.
The Theodul glacier, like others in the Alps, has experienced a significant retreat in recent years. Every summer, as the ice melts, relics and remains emerge from the frozen landscape, unveiling long-lost stories. This incident follows a string of similar findings, such as the wreckage of a plane that crashed in 1968 emerging from the Aletsch glacier last year. In 2015, DNA testing of relatives confirmed the identities of two young Japanese climbers who had gone missing during a 1970 snowstorm on the Matterhorn. In 2014, a helicopter pilot made the startling discovery of British climber Jonathan Conville’s body, missing since 1979 on the Matterhorn.
The latest revelation highlights the impact of climate change on the Swiss Alps and serves as a poignant reminder of the risks faced by adventurous mountaineers in these majestic yet treacherous terrains. As the glaciers continue to recede, more tales from the past may come to light, providing closure to families who have long sought answers about their missing loved ones.
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