Bodies of Belgian hikers missing since 1992 found on Swiss glacier

The bodies of two Belgian mountaineers who disappeared in the Swiss Alps more than three decades ago have been found, officials said, in a discovery attributed to the accelerating retreat of glaciers due to climate change. The remains were uncovered on the Trift Glacier in southern Switzerland after a hiker spotted them on July 26, 2026, prompting a recovery operation.

Police in the Valais region confirmed that DNA tests conducted at a hospital in Sion established the identities of the two men, who were 39 and 41 years old when they went missing in 1992. The pair had set out on September 4, 1992, from the Weissmies hut with the goal of climbing the 4,017-meter Weissmies summit. They were caught in severe weather and never reached their destination. Despite several search operations in the following months, only a rucksack belonging to the hikers was found.

The discovery was made on the Trift Glacier, located south of the city of Lucerne, dozens of kilometers from the Weissmies area where the men originally vanished. Authorities noted that the retreat of the glacier exposed the remains, making the area more accessible. The Valais cantonal police, which maintains a database of...