Man missing for 28 years found frozen in Pakistan glacier

Authorities in Pakistan have confirmed the recovery of the body of a man who disappeared nearly three decades ago, preserved in ice in the country’s mountainous Kohistan district.

The remains were identified as those of Naseeruddin, who went missing in June 1997. His body was discovered on July 31 this year, after a shepherd named Omar Khan spotted it near the Lady Meadows glacier in the remote Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.

“What I saw was beyond belief,” Khan told BBC Urdu, describing the body as completely intact, with clothing still undamaged. An identity card found beside the remains led police to confirm the man’s identity.

Local accounts suggest Naseeruddin and his brother, Kathiruddin, had fled their village on horseback to escape a violent feud. They reached the Lady Valley in the morning, but later that day, Naseeruddin entered a cave and never returned. His brother’s desperate search, first alone, then with help, yielded no clues. Investigators later concluded that he had fallen into a glacier crevasse during a snowstorm.

For nearly three decades, the glacier kept its body hidden. This summer’s accelerated melting, driven by reduced snowfall and warming temperatures, exposed long-buried ice layers. Experts say the extreme cold of a glacier quickly freezes and preserves a body by preventing decay, while low oxygen and moisture levels cause natural mummification.

Relatives revealed that Naseeruddin was a husband and father of two young children when he vanished. His nephew, Malik Ubaid, told AFP that the family spent years searching the glacier, but eventually gave up hope of finding him.

After the recovery, his remains were laid to rest in his native village on Wednesday. Family members expressed relief at finally gaining closure after decades of uncertainty.

Pakistan is home to more than 13,000 glaciers, the largest concentration outside the polar regions, but scientists warn that many are retreating faster than ever due to climate change and rising global temperatures.