Decades After They Vanished, Two Climbers Have Finally Been Found
Melting glaciers are more frequently exposing the remains of individuals who went missing decades ago. Such was the case recently in the Swiss Alps when the bodies of two Belgian climbers were recovered. Here is a look at this decades-old mystery and how it was finally solved.
Retreating Glaciers Reveal Human Remains
Authorities in Switzerland have confirmed that the bodies of two mountain climbers who went missing in the Swiss Alps over 30 years ago have finally been recovered. Law enforcement officials in the southwestern Valais region keep a records database of missing people over the last century, helping authorities to match up the bodies with the believed missing climbers.
A hiker came upon the human remains in July while exploring an area south of the city of Lucerne. The remains were exposed as a result of the natural retreat of the Trift glacier.
The discovery triggered a formal recovery operation led by the regional government. DNA analysis performed at a hospital in Valais was able to determine that the remains belonged to two Belgian hikers who disappeared near the Weissmies peak. The remains were found dozens of kilometers from the spot where they were believed to have last been seen.
The two hikers, aged 39 and 41 at the time of their disappearance, went missing in 1992.
How Climate Change is Revealing More Remains
This is not the first time that a retreating glacier has revealed the body of a missing person. The discoveries are becoming more frequent as glaciers across Switzerland and other areas of the world are melting at an accelerated pace due to the impacts of global warming.
It was just three years ago that DNA tests confirmed that a body found near the Matterhorn in Switzerland was that of a German climber who disappeared way back in 1986. In 2022, airplane parts were discovered on the Aletsch glacier. The parts were eventually linked to a Piper Cherokee that crashed in this part of the terrain in 1968.
Some of the discoveries have not been linked to specific missing people. The melting of the Chessjen glacier unearthed a body that was believed to be from the 1970s or 1980s. Another set of unidentified remains was discovered on the Stockji glacier.
The discoveries have also provided closure for some families. The remains of two Japanese climbers who went missing in 1970 after they got caught up in a snowstorm on the Matterhorn were positively identified in 2015. DNA analysis was used to link the remains to their relatives.
The remains of missing British climber Jonathan Conville were discovered in 2014 by a helicopter pilot. Conville had been missing on the Matterhorn since 1979. Family members said it brought them comfort to know that he died in a place that he loved.
Switzerland is home to more glaciers than any other nation in Europe. With a total of about 1,400, this equates to about half of all the glaciers in the European Alps.
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