Mountaineer Went Missing 2 Decades Back, Body Found Mummified In Peru 22 Years Later

(Representative image)

The preserved body of American mountaineer William Stampfl, who disappeared 22 years ago, has been found due to ice melt induced by climate change, news agency AFP reported quoting the local police. Stampfl, 59, went missing in June 2002 when an avalanche buried his climbing party on Mount Huascaran, which is over 6,700 meters (22,000 feet) high. Search and rescue efforts at the time were unsuccessful.  

Peruvian police stated that Stampfl's remains were exposed by ice melt on the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes, as per report by AFP.  

Images distributed by the police show that his body, clothes, harness, and boots were well-preserved by the cold. His passport was found among his possessions, enabling identification. 

The mountains of northeastern Peru, including peaks such as Huascaran and Cashan, are popular with mountaineers worldwide.  

Recently, the body of an Israeli hiker was found there in May, nearly a month after he disappeared. Last month, an experienced Italian mountaineer was found dead after falling while attempting to scale another Andean peak.