Police have found the well-preserved body of American mountaineer William Stampfl, who was buried by an avalanche 22 years ago while climbing Mount Huascarán in the Andes. The body was discovered in the Ancash region near a camp at 5,200 meters (17,060 ft) above sea level on Friday. Stampfl, 58, was identified through his climbing gear, driver’s license, and passport.
In 2002, Stampfl, a civil engineer born in Austria, was climbing with friends Matthew Richardson and Steve Erskine. Erskine’s body was found shortly after the avalanche, but Richardson remains missing. Stampfl’s body was brought down the mountain and placed in a morgue in Huaraz.
The discovery is part of a trend where melting glaciers, due to global warming, reveal bodies previously buried in ice. Edson Ramirez, a park ranger at Huascarán National Park, explained that the region’s glaciers have been retreating for about a decade, causing long-buried remains to surface.
Peru is home to about 68% of the world’s tropical glaciers, which are highly vulnerable to climate change. A government report indicated that Peru has lost 56% of its tropical glaciers over the last 60 years. Many of these glaciers are in the Cordillera Blanca, where Mount Huascarán is located, drawing thousands of climbers each year.
In a related incident, the body of an Israeli hiker was found in the same region in May, a month after he disappeared. This ongoing glacial melt continues to uncover long-hidden remains.
