Impact of climate change: Body of American climber found 22 years after disappearance in Peru

Guwahati, July 9: The body of an American climber, identified as William Stampfl, was discovered 22 years after he went missing while attempting to scale Huascaran Mountain in Peru.

Authorities informed that the mummified remains of the climber, along with his climbing gear and passport, were all preserved in the cold.

Stampfl, who was 59 at the time, disappeared in June 2002 when an avalanche buried his climbing team at an altitude of 22,000 feet in the Yungay Province.

Reports suggest that the body was recovered after ice on the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes melted.

Experts highlighted that Peru has lost more than half of its glacier surface in the last six decades, and 175 glaciers vanished completely due to the climate crisis between 2016 and 2020.

However, this is not an isolated incident. Previously, in May, the body of an Israeli hiker was found there, nearly a month after he disappeared.