Remains of climber who disappeared from Swiss mountain in 1986 are discovered more than three decades later in melting glacier
- They find the body of a German hiker who disappeared almost 40 years ago
- The then 38-year-old anonymous mountaineer has been missing for decades.
- Swiss police said melting glacier would likely reveal more missing people
The body of a climber who disappeared nearly 40 years ago while hiking a famous Swiss mountain has been discovered.
Mountaineers crossing the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt in southern Switzerland, near the famous Matterhorn mountain, were left in shock after stumbling upon human remains and hiking equipment in July.
The remains were found to belong to a 38-year-old German mountaineer who had been missing since September 1986, Swiss police said after the remains were sent for examination.
Valais cantonal police declined to name the missing German, but said a DNA analysis carried out by scientists at a nearby hospital was able to confirm his identity.
It is currently not known exactly how or when she died, and police said their search at the time of her disappearance was “unsuccessful”.
The remains were discovered by a group of mountaineers who stumbled upon the morbid scene
The group was hiking on the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt in southern Switzerland when they found the remains and equipment (Stock)
The remains of the unnamed German hiker were found near the world-famous Matterhorn mountain in Switzerland (Stock)
Alarmingly, the force said melting glaciers are likely to reveal the locations of the remains of mountaineers who disappeared decades ago.
“Glacier retreat brings to light an increasing number of missing mountaineers who were reported missing several decades ago.” read a police statement.
The discovery of the German hiker comes as the family of a British hiker who went missing in the Swiss Alps more than a month ago has released footage of his trip in a bid to identify the people he was with before he went missing.
Chemical engineer Aidan Roche, 29, was the last since June 22 while hiking in the famous Grindelward area of the Swiss Alps near the end of a two-week trip.
His brother Connor Roche, 32, said: “We all miss Aidan so much, we just need him to come home.”
“The hardest thing my family and I are dealing with is the unknown.”
‘Sometimes you can’t help but imagine the worst of things, especially with so much time since he disappeared. But then you feel guilty for imagining those things.
“Right now we just need more information, anything that can help us find him and bring him home,” he added.
