Remains have been discovered on a glacier in New Zealand, and the deceased is likely a hiker who went missing 42 years ago.
According to reports, on September 16, 1973, the 19-year-old youth disappeared after an avalanche at the foot of the Tasman Glacier in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, and his body may have been “encased in ice.” At the time, rescuers only found his backpack and the remains of an elderly companion in nine meters of snow.
More than 40 years later, independent guide Gavin Lang and another climber recently discovered a body near the glacier that could be the missing young man. Lang said he first saw some “mesh material” attached to an old tent frame, a pair of gloves, and socks, then came across the remains. “His skin was like leather, and there were boots nearby. I didn’t want to look any further…”.
Local police believe that lower-than-usual snowfall and higher temperatures this year may have brought the hiker’s remains to the surface. The report states that since 1907, the remains of at least 62 hikers who went missing in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park have not been found.
(China Times)