Body of skier believed to have died 22 years ago found on Austrian Alps glacier
An Alpine guide has found the remains of an Austrian man believed to have died in the Alps 22 years ago, authorities said Tuesday.
The body was found late last week on the Schlatenkees glacier in Hohe Tauern National park, near the Italian border, at an altitude of about 9,500 feet, police said in a statement.
A backpack found near the body contained cash, a driver’s license and a bank card, leading police to determine the remains appear to be those of a 37-year-old Austrian man who had been missing since 2001.
The man also had cross-country skiing equipment, officials said.
The body was recovered with the help of a police helicopter after the guide who found the remains contacted police in the Austrian town of Lienz.
A DNA comparison is currently being carried out for a final confirmation of the man’s identity.
The increasing rate of the melting of glaciers — which many scientists blame on climate change — has led to recent discoveries of remains of skiers and hikers who had been missing for decades.
Last month, DNA tests carried out on the remains of a body found on the Theodul glacier in southern Switzerland was that of a German mountaineer who had disappeared in 1986.
Bones found at the Schlatenkees glacier in 2011 were later linked to a man who had been missing since 1957.
In 2015, Swiss police identified the remains of two Japanese climbers who had been missing since August 1970. Their bones were found on a glacier under the Matterhorn mountain.
With News Wire Services
