Bodies of 2 hikers missing for decades in Swiss Alps turn up as glacier melts

The bodies of two Belgian mountaineers who went missing in the Swiss Alps over thirty years ago have been discovered, authorities announced. Police in the southwestern region of Valais revealed that the melting of glaciers has exposed remains of individuals who were lost decades earlier. Last month, a hiker stumbled upon human remains while traversing the area near the Trift glacier, prompting an extensive recovery operation.

Subsequent DNA tests conducted at a hospital in Valais confirmed that the remains belonged to a 39-year-old and a 41-year-old Belgian hikers who went missing near the Weissmies mountain in 1992. This type of discovery is not uncommon, but has become increasingly frequent as Switzerland's glaciers have melted at an unprecedented rate.

In 2019, DNA testing confirmed that a body found on a glacier near the Matterhorn was that of a German mountaineer who had disappeared in 1986 three years prior. Climate scientists attribute the recent surge in glacier melt in Switzerland and other regions to global warming.