Melting Glacier Reveals Remains of Belgian Mountaineers Missing for Decades

The melting of a glacier in the Swiss Alps has unveiled the remains of two Belgian mountaineers who vanished over three decades ago. Authorities confirmed this discovery on Wednesday.

On July 26, a hiker came across the uncovered remains on the Trift Glacier, as melting ice revealed them. The police in Switzerland’s Valais canton reported the discovery. Authorities retrieved the remains and sent them to a forensic medicine institute at a hospital in Sion for identification.

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DNA tests revealed that the remains belonged to two Belgian men who disappeared in the Weissmies region in 1992. The men were aged 39 and 41 at the time of their disappearance.

The Valais police have documented missing-person cases dating back to 1925. Many of these cases involve individuals who disappeared in the mountainous regions or in bodies of water.

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As glaciers retreat, remains that have been hidden beneath the ice for decades sometimes emerge. This has led to several similar discoveries in Switzerland in recent years. In 2023, DNA analysis identified a body found on a glacier near the Matterhorn as a German mountaineer who went missing in 1986.

Switzerland’s glaciers have been melting at an increasing pace. Some scientists associate this trend with the rise in global temperatures.