19.08.2026 23:30
The fate of two Belgian climbers who disappeared in the Swiss Alps in 1992 has come to light after 34 years. Human remains found by a hiker in the melting Trift Glacier have been confirmed through DNA analysis to belong to the two climbers who disappeared years ago.
The fate of two Belgian climbers who disappeared in 1992 while climbing in the Swiss Alps came to light 34 years later. Human remains found at the Trift Glacier near the Weissmies Mountain were identified through DNA analysis as belonging to the two climbers who had gone missing years ago.
THEY WENT CLIMBING IN 1992 AND NEVER RETURNED
Two Belgian climbers, aged 39 and 41, set out from Weissmieshütte on the Weissmies Mountain on September 4, 1992, heading to Almagellerhütte. The planned route passed over the summit of Weissmies, which is 4,017 meters high.
However, due to the adverse weather conditions affecting the area, the two climbers could not reach their destination and were never heard from again. During the search efforts at the time, only a backpack was found, and no trace of the two climbers was discovered.
YEARS LATER, THEY EMERGED FROM THE GLACIERS
Over the following years, efforts to find the missing climbers in the region yielded no results. However, with the rapid melting of the glaciers in the Swiss Alps, the 34-year-old mystery came to light.
In July, human remains were found by a hiker at the Trift Glacier. Identification documents found near the remains strengthened the possibility that they belonged to the two Belgian climbers who disappeared in 1992. The identities were definitively confirmed after examining DNA samples taken from the families.
THE MISSING PERSONS CASE WAS CLOSED AFTER 34 YEARS
Officials sent the remains to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Sion for forensic examination. Following the DNA analysis, it was confirmed that the two individuals were the climbers who disappeared in 1992. Thus, the question that families had been waiting decades for an answer to was finally resolved.
AS GLACIERS MELT, THE PAST EMERGES
Similar discoveries have become more frequent in the Swiss Alps in recent years. Scientific research shows that the rapid retreat of glaciers due to global warming is bringing human remains and objects that have been buried under the ice for decades back to the surface.
Indeed, in Switzerland, remains of climbers who disappeared decades ago had previously been found after the melting of glaciers. In 2023, the remains of a German climber who had been missing since 1986 were uncovered near the Matterhorn after approximately 36 years.