World Desk : dhakamirror.com
The American man’s mummified remains have been found, 22 years after going missing while climbing a mountain in Peru, police announced on Monday.
Peruvian police said ice melt had exposed Stampfl’s mummified and clothed body.
He was identified by the passport found among his belongings.
William Stampfl, 59, was reported missing in June 2002 after an avalanche buried his climbing party while scaling Mount Huascarán, Peru’s highest peak.
Police said Stampfl’s body was well-preserved by the Peruvian ice, with his clothes in good condition, the AFP reported. He was still wearing his boots and harness.
Mount Huascarán, which is situated about 270 miles (435km) north of the capital Lima, stands at more than 22,000ft (6,706m).
With its snowy peaks and stunning climbs, the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in north-eastern Peru is a magnet for mountaineers worldwide.
Stampfl embarked with two others – Steve Erskine and Matthew Richardson – on a 19-day round trip from California to Peru’s tallest summit.
But an avalanche upended their climb on 24 June 2002. Only Erskine’s body had previously been found.
Stampfl is at least the third person this year found dead in the region.
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.
– Input from BBC was used in this article.
