Last year, Swiss police identified human remains found in the Swiss Alps as those of a British mountaineer who vanished 52 years ago. This discovery is part of a series of findings involving long-missing climbers as Alpine glaciers recede due to global warming.
The climber was reported missing in July 1971, but initial search efforts yielded no results, according to Valais canton police in southwest Switzerland.
On August 22, 2022, two climbers stumbled upon human remains on the Chessjengletscher glacier near Saas-Fee, an Alpine village in the Saas Valley. It took a year to confirm the climber’s identity as experts combed through missing climbers’ case files.
With assistance from Interpol Manchester and Scottish police, a relative was located, and a DNA sample facilitated the identification of the British mountaineer.
The climber’s formal identification occurred on August 30.
The melting of Alpine glaciers due to global warming has led to the discovery of an increasing number of human remains, some belonging to climbers who had been missing for decades.