2023-08-23 12:32:37
The body of a mountaineer who disappeared more than twenty years ago has been found on a glacier in Austria. It was a mountain guide who made the discovery on August 18 on the Schlatenkees glacier in Tyrol, at an altitude of 2,900 m.
On Tuesday, police confirmed that the body had been identified as possibly that of a 37-year-old Austrian mountaineer who disappeared more than 20 years ago. A backpack containing a bank card and a driver’s license was located below, which made it easier to identify the victim.
More and more bodies found
The mountaineer had been the victim of an accident in 2001 and had never been found. DNA analyzes will be carried out to confirm these elements and his identity. The results are expected “in a few weeks”.
The record melting observed in the Alps as a result of climate change is increasingly revealing the remains of people who disappeared decades ago. At the end of June, human remains and ski fragments were spotted on this same Schlatenkees glacier, which recorded the strongest retreat (89.5 m) in 2021 and 2022, according to the annual report of the Austrian Alpine Club.
“It is rather rare to find both an entire body and the remains in such a short time,” commented Christian Viehweider, police spokesman, when questioned by theAFP. In neighboring Switzerland, the remains of a 38-year-old German mountaineer, missing since 1986, were also discovered in July on the Theodule glacier.
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