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Two Belgian climbers found after thirty-four years
A hiker’s discovery on the Trift Glacier led to the identification of two Belgian mountaineers missing since 1992.
What happened
Valais police confirmed that DNA testing identified remains found on the Trift Glacier as two Belgian mountaineers missing in the Weissmies area since 1992. A hiker alerted authorities after finding the remains near Switzerland’s Italian border on July 26. The bodies were taken to a forensic institute in Sion.
Numbers
- 34 yearsTime missing before identification — They disappeared in 1992
- July 26Hiker reported the discovery — On the Trift Glacier
- 1925Start of Valais missing-persons list — Mostly mountain and river cases
Questions
- Why did the remains emerge now?
- The remains had been covered by snow and ice; retreating Alpine glaciers can expose people who disappeared decades earlier.
- How were the identities confirmed?
- Direct DNA profile comparisons formally matched the remains to the mountaineers, after they were transferred to the Sion forensic institute.
- Has Valais seen similar discoveries?
- A Swiss climber missing since 1994 was found on an Ober Gabelhorn glacier in Valais last year.
- What record does Valais maintain?
- The police maintain a missing-persons list dating to 1925, mainly covering mountain and river cases in the canton.
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The catch
Coverage does not state what caused the mountaineers’ disappearance or when they died.