Hiker’s body missing 37 years unearthed by thawing glacier

Human Interest

By Jack Hobbs

July 30, 2023 | 2:14pm

Swiss police revealed Thursday that they have uncovered the remains of a German hiker who disappeared nearly four decades ago while climbing the Theodul Glacier in the southern Alps.

The remains of the hiker, who has yet to be publicly identified by police, were found by two other mountaineers in Zermatt, Valais, near Matterhorn, reported The Guardian.

Authorities claim that due to the melting of the glacier, the passersby were able to spot the deceased’s boot as well as a crampon, a device that allows the wearer greater mobility in snow and ice.

With forensic analysis, scientists were able to match the body with a known missing climber.

“DNA analysis enabled the identification of a mountain climber who had been missing since 1986,” officials in Switzerland said in a statement. “In September 1986, a German climber, who was 38 at the time, had been reported missing after not returning from a hike.”

Police released a photo of the scene where the body was located, showing a single, red-laced hiking boot peeking out of the snow where the hiker met their tragic end.

According to various reports, the man is one of nearly 300 people who have either died or gone missing while hiking the treacherous mountains.

Experts expect more bodies to be revealed as the global climate shift causes regions once blanketed by ice to melt.

In March, an American teen and her friend, who had been studying at an exclusive Swiss boarding school, were presumed dead after being buried in a 2,500-foot-wide avalanche during a school skiing trip.

According to local police, the students were part of a 12-person skiing party and triggered the snowslide when they went down a hill.

Search and rescue members had been unable to find the body of the US student — who has not yet been identified — but found the backpack of her friend.

“The official search for the second student, who was from the USA, had to be interrupted at around 7.30 p.m. [Tuesday] and was continued the next day,” the school said in a statement. “We regret this terrible accident and are deeply saddened.”

One family friend claimed that police and rescuers told the student’s parents that “there is no chance of survival” and the girl was “conclusively killed.”