The remains of a climber who went missing in 1986 found in the Swiss Alps

Valais Canton police issued a statement on Thursday confirming that the remains of a German mountaineer, who had been missing since 1986, were discovered in a glacial river on the Swiss side of the Alps.

With the glacial rivers receding due to climate change, several mountaineers who had disappeared decades ago are being found.

On July 12th, mountain climbers discovered human remains and pieces of climbing equipment in the glacial river, Tsidul, in southern Switzerland.

The remains were transported to the forensic medicine department at Valais Hospital in Sion, the capital of Valais Canton, for examination. Valais police explained that "DNA analysis confirmed that the remains belong to the mountaineer who went missing in September 1986."

At the time of his disappearance, the German mountaineer was 38 years old and was considered missing as he did not return from a mountain excursion.

Search operations conducted back then had not led to his discovery.



AFP