Body of missing man found on melting Austrian glacier after more than 20 years

The body of a man, who is believed to have died in an accident in the Austrian Alps in 2001, has been found, said local police on Tuesday.

On Aug 18, a mountain guide discovered the body at an altitude of about 2,900m on East Tyrol’s Schlatenkees glacier, according to the police.

The mountain guide alerted the police, who recovered the body with the help of a helicopter.

The police believe the remains are of an Austrian man, who was 37 when he died on the glacier. The man had ski touring equipment, reported the BBC.

A backpack was found a few metres near the corpse. It contained a bank card, a driving licence and cash.

DNA tests are being conducted, with results expected within a few weeks, according to media reports.

The discovery of the body comes after human remains and bones were found on the same glacier in June.

Police spokesman Christian Viehweider told BBC News that it is “rather unusual” to have two bodies found on a glacier within such a short period.

Since 1964, around 45 people have gone missing in the Austrian Alps and are still unaccounted for, he added.

The Austrian glacier had the largest recorded loss of ice at 89.5m during the 2021/2022 period, said the Austrian Alpine Club in its annual report.