Body found on melting Pakistan’s glacier 28 years after disappearance

CHILAS: The body of a man who went missing in 1997 has been discovered on a melting glacier in the Kohistan mountains of Gilgit-Baltistan, exposed nearly three decades later due to climate change-induced ice melt.

The remains were found in the Lady Meadows area of Palas, Kohistan, and identified as those of Naseer Uddin, who disappeared during a snowstorm while travelling through the remote Supat Valley.

Remarkably well-preserved despite the passage of 28 years, the body was identified through a national identity card found in his pocket.

Local resident Umar Khan and his friends came across the remains while trekking through the glacier-covered region. According to Umar Khan, Naseer Uddin and his family had left their hometown in Palas due to a longstanding family feud and were journeying through the area when the tragedy occurred.

Kohistan District Police Officer Amjad Hussain confirmed the discovery, stating that Naseer Uddin likely lost his life after falling into a crevasse during the snowstorm.

Umar Khan said he temporarily buried the body to prevent decomposition and later traced and informed the deceased’s family.

Earlier, German Olympic and World Champion biathlete Laura Dahlmeier was confirmed dead on Wednesday after sustaining serious injuries in a climbing accident in Pakistan, the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) reported.

Faizullah Faraq, spokesperson for the Gilgit-Baltistan government, confirmed that Dahlmeier lost her life due to a landslide in the Baltistan region. He stated that a rescue team retrieved her body, and once they descend to the base camp, a government helicopter will be dispatched to transport it.

Two German female climbers were caught in a landslide in the Shigar district of Baltistan. One of the climbers was successfully rescued, while Laura Dahlmeier tragically did not survive.