The body was found less than two months after human remains were discovered on the same glacier in Austria, which records the fastest melting rate in the country.
A mountain guide discovered the body of a mountaineer on a glacier in Austria in mid-August, identified by police on Tuesday as probably that of a 37-year-old Austrian who disappeared more than 20 years ago. The body was found on August 18 on the Schlatenkees glacier in Tyrol, at an altitude of around 2,900 meters, local police said in a statement.
A backpack, containing a bank card and a driver’s license, was located below, which made it possible to direct the investigators on the trail of this man who had been the victim of an accident in 2001.
DNA analyzes will be carried out to confirm these elements. The results are expected “in a few weeks”.
Human remains found two months ago
At the end of June, other human remains and ski fragments had been spotted on this same Schlatenkees glacier, which recorded the strongest retreat (89.5 meters) in 2021/22, according to the annual report of the Austrian Alpine Club.
“It is rather rare to find both a whole body and remains in such a short time,” said Christian Viehweider, police spokesman, interviewed by AFP. In neighboring Switzerland, the remains of a 38-year-old German mountaineer, missing since 1986, were also discovered in July on the Theodule glacier (south).
The record melting observed in the Alps by scientists, under the effect of global warming, reveals more and more often the remains of people who disappeared several decades ago.
Source: BFM TV
