The family of a man who went missing nearly three decades ago has found closure after his body was discovered on a melting glacier in northern Pakistan, 28 years after he vanished.
The remains of 31-year-old Nasiruddin were recently spotted by locals near the edge of the Lady Meadows glacier in Kohistan, part of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The glacier, now retreating due to rising global temperatures, revealed the body which had been preserved in the ice since 1997.
Nasiruddin and his brother reportedly fled to the mountains following a village dispute. While his brother survived, Nasiruddin is believed to have fallen into a crevasse and never returned.
“Our family left no stone unturned to trace him over the years. Our uncles and cousins visited the glacier several times to see if his body could be retrieved, but they eventually gave up as it wasn’t possible,” said Malik Ubaid, the nephew of the deceased, speaking to AFP.
Nasiruddin, who went by one name, was a husband and father of two. His body, still well-preserved and carrying an identity card, was found on July 31 by a local shepherd and buried the following day. “Finally, we have got some relief after the recovery of his dead body,” Ubaid said.
Kohistan is part of a rugged mountainous area where the outer fringes of the Himalayas stretch. Pakistan, home to over 13,000 glaciers, more than any country outside the polar regions, is witnessing the rapid melting of its ice masses due to climate change.
The discovery underscores how melting glaciers are increasingly revealing long-lost remains and artifacts, adding human stories to the mounting evidence of global warming’s impact.
