Body of man missing for 28 years found in melting glacier New
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The body of a man missing for 28 years has been found in a melting glacier in Pakistan’s remote and mountainous Kohistan region.
A shepherd stumbled upon the body, which was remarkably well-preserved, with its clothing intact, in the so-called Lady Valley in the country’s east.
Along with the body was an ID card with the name Naseeruddin. Police were able to trace it to a man who disappeared in the area in June 1997 after falling into a glacier crack during a snowstorm.
The region has seen decreased snowfall in recent years, exposing glaciers to direct sunlight, making them melt faster. Experts said the body’s discovery shows how changing climate has accelerated glacial melt.
As soon as police confirmed that it was Naseeruddin, locals began offering more information, Mr Khan added.
Naseeruddin had a wife and two children. He was travelling with his brother, Kathiruddin, on horseback on the day he went missing. Police said a family feud had forced the two men to leave their home.
When a human body falls into a glacier, the extreme cold freezes it fast, preventing decomposition, said Prof Muhammad Bilal, head of the Department of Environment at Comsats University Islamabad.
The body is then mummified due to a lack of moisture and oxygen in the glacier.
