- Long-Lost Climber’s Remains Found on Swiss Glacier
- DNA Confirms Identity of Missing German Climber from 1986
- Glacier Melting Reveals Bodies of Long-Missing Climbers
The body was discovered by hikers on the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt, and DNA tests confirmed that it belonged to a 38-year-old German male who disappeared in September 1986.
The remains of a German climber who disappeared 37 years ago near Switzerland’s Matterhorn summit have been recovered.
DNA tests verified that the remains belonged to the missing 38-year-old from September 1986.
The discovery was made on July 12 by climbers traversing the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt, according to police in the canton of Valais.
“DNA analysis enabled the identification of a mountain climber who had been missing since 1986,” according to a police statement.
In September 1986, a 38-year-old German climber was reported missing after failing to return from a walk.
The police did not disclose the man’s identity or the circumstances surrounding his passing.
The force published a photograph of the climber’s lone hiking footwear with red laces sticking out of the snow.
The melting of glaciers has uncovered the remains of climbers.
In recent years, the Swiss glaciers have melted at an accelerated rate, which climatologists and other experts attribute in part to man-made climate change.
The retreating glaciers have resulted in the recovery of the bodies of climbers who vanished over the past several decades.
In 2015, the remains of two teenage Japanese climbers who disappeared during a snowstorm on the Matterhorn in 1970 were discovered, and their identities were confirmed by DNA testing.
Since records began more than a century ago, last year’s glacier discharge rate was the highest ever recorded.
They lost 6% of their remaining volume, which is nearly double the 2003 record.
