The bodies of two Belgian men who went missing in the Swiss Alps in 1992 have been discovered after being exposed by the melting of a glacier. A hiker found the bodies on 26 July on the Trift Glacier, south of the Swiss city of Lucerne, officials said.
Glacier Melting Exposes Dark Secret of the Alps
Police in Switzerland's Valais region have confirmed that the bodies are those of two mountaineers who went missing 34 years ago near the Weissmies mountain. They were aged 39 and 41 at the time of their disappearance.
The Weissmies mountain, which peaks at over 4,000 metres, is a popular mountaineering spot in the Saas Valley. Regional officials maintain a database of missing people dating back to 1925, with the majority of people on it disappearing in the mountains or in rivers and other bodies of water, police said.
Climate Change Contributes to Glacier Shrinkage
Many scientists attribute a rapid retreat in Switzerland's glaciers to climate change. The rate of glacier shrinkage has been increasing globally since the 1990s, and at a particularly accelerated rate since 2000, according to the European Commission's monitoring body Copernicus.
Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (Glamos) reported that Switzerland's glaciers shrunk by a quarter in the decade to 2025. Data from Glamos also reported a further glacier reduction of 3% across 2025, following record years of ice loss in 2022 and 2023.
A Tragic Discovery Amidst Rapid Glacier Shrinkage
The discovery of the two men's bodies is not the first time that the melting of glaciers has exposed the remains of people who had gone missing several decades prior. In 2023, human remains found on a glacier close to Switzerland's famed Matterhorn were confirmed to be those of a German climber who had been missing since 1986.
A recovery operation has been organised by police in the Valais region, and the bodies have been transferred to a hospital in the canton's capital, Sion, for identification. The force noted that this was a tragic reminder of the consequences of climate change and the importance of preserving our natural heritage.
A Growing Concern for the Future of Swiss Ski Resorts
The melting of glaciers has imperilled some of Switzerland's ski resorts and competitions. Unseasonably warm weather has brought a reduction in snow, which has raised concerns about the future of the country's ski industry. As the global average temperature continues to rise, it is likely that we will see more instances of glaciers melting and exposing hidden secrets of the past.
Source: Joy Online
