Mummified body of missing US climber found after 22 years
The body of American mountaineer William Stampfl, who disappeared 22 years ago while climbing a snowy peak in Peru, has been found, police announced on Monday.
His remains were revealed due to ice melt caused by climate change, reports CBS News.
Stampfl, aged 59 at the time, went missing in June 2002 when an avalanche struck his climbing party on Mount Huascaran, which rises over 22,000 feet.
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He was accompanied by friends Matthew Richardson and Steve Erskine during the ascent. Erskine's body was recovered shortly after the avalanche, but Richardson remains missing.
Peruvian police reported that Stampfl's body was exposed by melting ice on the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes. His remains, along with his clothes, harness, and boots, were well-preserved by the cold, as shown in images released by the police.
Among Stampfl's possessions, his passport was found, enabling the police to identify him. His driver's license, indicating he was a resident of San Bernardino County, California, was also discovered.
Guides and police officers retrieved Stampfl's body from the mountain over the weekend, and it has been placed in a morgue in the city of Huaraz.
The mountains of northeastern Peru, including peaks like Huascaran and Cashan, are popular with mountaineers worldwide.
In May, the body of an Israeli hiker was discovered nearly a month after his disappearance. Additionally, last month, an experienced Italian mountaineer was found dead after falling while attempting to scale another Andean peak.
