A man was completely frozen in ice for 28 years. Glacier spits him back.

Here’s what you’ll learn as you read this story:

• A 31-year-old Pakistani man, who went missing in an ice cave in 1997, was found completely unharmed by a local shepherd.

• The discovery ends a three-decade-long harrowing search for his body in the mountainous Kohistan region for a family that has been relentlessly searching for it.

• As glaciers retreat around the world due to climate change, the discovery of bodies or ancient artifacts is likely to increase as melting ice reveals their frozen tombs.

---

In June 1997, a 31-year-old Pakistani man named Naseeruddin, while traveling in the Supat Valley in Pakistan’s mountainous northern region called Kohistan, disappeared into a cave, never to be seen again. He left behind a wife and two children, and for years, the missing man’s family searched the area for any sign of him — ultimately, to no avail.

“Our family has spared no effort to search for her for years,” Malik Ubaid, the deceased’s nephew, told AFP. “Our uncles and cousins ​​visited the glacier several times to see if his body could be recovered, but they eventually left because it was not possible.”

After nearly three decades, the search for Naseeruddin has come to an end. On July 31, a local shepherd in the valley named Omar Khan found the body of the missing man, who still had his identity card. But that was not the only surprise.

“What I saw was unbelievable,” Khan told BBC Urdu. “The body was in disarray. The clothes were not even torn.”

For 28 years, Nasiruddin lay mummified in the ice of the glacier. He underwent a rapid freezing process that protected the body from moisture and oxygen. Pakistan is home to nearly 7,000 glaciers – the largest amount outside the Earth’s polar regions – and like many glaciers around the world, these ice giants are slowly disappearing due to anthropogenic climate change.

In northern Pakistan, climate change has reduced snowfall in the region, causing more direct sunlight to melt glaciers. This unnatural temperature eventually exposed Naseeruddin’s body, allowing a passing shepherd to finally put the painful secret to rest.

“Finally, we got some relief when his body was found,” said Ubed.

Glaciers and other icy bodies, such as ice sheets, are basically planetary time capsules. Scientists around the world frequently drill ice cores to measure past climatic events by analyzing the trapped air bubbles, as well as the isotropic structure of the surrounding ice. They can also provide incredible glimpses into humanity’s past. While many wonderful artworks It has been found encased in glacial iceThe most famous frozen discovery is Ötzi, also known as the Iceman, who was found in the Italian Alps in 1991 with his soft tissues and organs intact. The discovery provided an unprecedented glimpse into life and time and into Neolithic Europe.

While glaciers are amazing at preserving soft tissue (even scientists know what Ötzi’s last meal was), they are not as effective as cryogenic freezing, which can completely preserve an organism. That’s why Ötzi, as well as other bodies of frozen WWI soldiers found in 2017, still show signs of decomposition and dehydration.

Unfortunately, Naseeruddin’s fate is shared by many intrepid explorers who venture to these dangerous and cold heights. last year, National Geographic A partial recovery has been reported for climber Sandy Irwin, who Disappeared on Mount Everest A century ago. In fact, crews regularly conducted clean-up operations on the world’s highest peaks, often gathering long-lost climbers. On the side of the mountain.

As glaciers retreat rapidly around the world, we’ll soon see what other secrets—both sad and wonderful—may be lurking on top of the world.

You might like it too