Bodies of Two Belgian Climbers Missing Since 1992 Found on Swiss Glacier

The bodies of two Belgian climbers missing in Switzerland since 1992 have been found on a glacier in the Valais region, where melting ice recently exposed their remains, cantonal police announced Wednesday. On July 26, a hiker reported seeing two bodies on the Trift glacier in southern Switzerland, near the Italian border. A recovery operation was organized, and the remains were taken to the forensic medicine institute of Valais Hospital in Sion for identification, according to a police statement.

A direct comparison of DNA profiles formally established that they were two climbers reported missing in the Weissmies area since 1992, the Valais police document added. The two men were Belgian nationals, aged 39 and 41 at the time of their disappearance. The Valais cantonal police maintain a list of people missing since 1925, mainly in high mountains or waterways.

As glaciers retreat, remains of people missing in the mountains for decades are sometimes discovered. Last year, the bones of a climber who disappeared in 1994 were found in the Obergabelhorn massif, near Zermatt, in the Valais canton.