A hiker discovered the remains on the Trift Glacier on July 26, according to police in Switzerland’s Valais canton. The ice melt exposed the bodies, which were then recovered by authorities and sent for identification.
DNA analysis later confirmed the remains belonged to two Belgian men who had been reported missing in 1992 while in the Weissmies region. The men were 39 and 41 years old at the time of their disappearance.
Valais police maintain records of missing persons cases dating back to 1925, many involving individuals lost in mountainous terrain or bodies of water. The police noted that as glaciers recede due to warming temperatures, bodies and objects that have been preserved for decades under the ice can become exposed.
In a similar incident in 2023, DNA testing identified the remains of a German mountaineer who vanished in 1986 after being discovered on a glacier near the Matterhorn. Switzerland's glaciers have experienced accelerated melting in recent years, a phenomenon that scientists have linked to rising global temperatures.