Bodies of missing hikers found in Alps after 34 years as glacier ice melts

Last month, local police informed the unit that the bodies had been found on the Trift Glacier near Saas-Grund. Authorities have yet to definitively confirm that the bodies are those of the two men from the Kempen, but identification documents were also found and DNA analysis is under way to confirm their identity.

“The bodies were found because the glacier’s ice has retreated, exposing part of the area,” says Gerry Van Loock of the Missing Persons Unit. “This made the area more accessible, and the remains were uncovered.”

This is not the first time a melting glacier has revealed secrets. Last year, in Tyrol and Pakistan, human remains were recovered after several decades because the glaciers are shrinking.

“When our international colleagues find human remains, they ask us to check our open files to see if there are any descriptions of individuals that might match details from the remains found, such as documents, clothing or similar items,” says Van Loock. The fact that such documents remain well-preserved after 34 years depends on the circumstances, he says.

“We have numerous examples where documentation turns up years after the time of disappearance. For example, in a vehicle recovered from the water during a search operation, where we find vehicle documents in the glove compartment that are in fairly good condition. These allow us to identify a vehicle and, consequently, to establish a person’s identity.”

For Van Loock, one thing is paramount: that the families of the hikers receive an answer after 34 years. “That way, the grieving process can begin and they can move on with their lives, however difficult that loss may be, of course. A bad answer is still better than no answer at all.”

Last month, the remains were found of a 72-year-old hiker from Antwerp province who disappeared in September 2024 while trekking in Albania. His remains and belongings were found on a mountainside in North Macedonia near the Albanian border.