Latest news with #SupatValley
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A Man Was Perfectly Frozen in Ice for 28 Years. The Glacier Just Spit Him Back Out.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: A 31-year-old Pakistani man, who went missing in June 1997 in an ice cave, was found perfectly preserved last week by a local sheppard. The discovery puts an end to a painful three-decade-long search for a family that tirelessly searched for his body in the mountainous Kohistan region. As glaciers retreat around the world due to climate change, discoveries of bodies or ancient artifacts will likely increase as melting ice reveals their frozen tombs. In June 1997, a 31-year-old Pakistani man by the name Naseeruddin, while traveling in the Supat Valley in the mountainous northern region of Pakistan called Kohistan, disappeared into a cave never to be seen again. He left behind a wife and two children, and for years, the family of the missing man searched the area for any sign of him—ultimately, to no avail. 'Our family left no stone unturned to trace him over the years,' Malik Ubaid, the nephew of the deceased, told the AFP. '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.' After nearly three decades, the search for Naseeruddin has finally come to an end. On July 31, a local shepherd in the valley named Omar Khan discovered the missing man's body, with an identity card still on him. But that wasn't the only surprise. 'What I saw was unbelievable,' Khan told BBC Urdu. 'The body was intact. The clothes were not even torn.' For 28 years, Naseeruddin lay mummified in the glacial ice. He underwent a quick freezing process that then protected the body from moisture and oxygen. Pakistan is home to some 7,000 glaciers—the largest amount outside of 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 caused decreased snowfall in the region, leading to more direct sunlight melting the glaciers. This unnatural warming is what eventually exposed Naseeruddin's body, allowing the passing shepherd to finally put a painful mystery to rest. 'Finally, we have got some relief after the recovery of his dead body,' Ubaid said. 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 climactic events by analyzing trapped air bubbles, as well as the isotropic composition of the surrounding ice. They can also provide incredible glimpses into humanity's past. While many amazing artifacts have been found encased in glacial ice, the most famous frozen finding is Ötzi, also known as The Iceman, who was found in the Italian Alps in 1991 with his soft tissues and organs intact. This discovery provided an unprecedented glimpse into life and times and neolithic Europe. While glaciers are amazing at preserving soft tissue (scientists even know what Ötzi's last meal was), they aren't as effective as cryogenic freezing, which can perfectly preserve an organism. This is why Ötzi, as well as other bodies of frozen WWI soldiers discovered in 2017, still show signs of decomposition and dehydration. Sadly, Naseeruddin's fate is one shared by many intrepid explorers who venture into these dangerous and cold altitudes. Last year, National Geographic reported the partial recovery of mountaineer Sandy Irvine, who disappeared on Everest a century ago. In fact, crews regularly conducted clean-up campaigns on the world's tallest peak, often finding long-lost climbers frozen along the mountainside. With glaciers rapidly in retreat around the world, we'll soon see what other mysteries—both tragic and wondrous—that may lay hidden at the top of the world. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life? Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
06-08-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Shepherd finds body of man missing for 28 years in melting glacier
A shepherd has discovered the body of a man who vanished nearly three decades ago, preserved in a glacier exposed by melting ice in a remote Pakistani mountain region. The body was found on 1 August with clothing intact in the Supat Valley, also known as Lady Valley, in the Kohistan region in the country's northeast, according to The Express Tribune. 'What I saw was unbelievable,' the local shepherd who found the body, Omar Khan, told the BBC. 'The body was intact. The clothes were not even torn.' An identity card recovered with the body named the man as Naseeruddin. Once police confirmed the identity, locals came forward to provide more information, said Mr Khan, who often visits the area in summer. Police say Naseeruddin disappeared in June 1997 during a snowstorm after falling into a glacier crack. Naseeruddin, who had a wife and two children, had been travelling on horseback with his brother Kathiruddin at the time. A family dispute forced the two brothers to leave their home on the day he disappeared, according to The Express Tribune. As a result, the family had to migrate from Palas Valley to Alai tehsil in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. Having arrived in the valley in the morning, Naseeruddin stepped into a cave in the afternoon, his brother told the BBC. Kathiruddin looked for him inside the cave when he did not return. He went to get help from other people in the area but they never found him. Experts have said the discovery indicates the role of climate change in accelerating glacial melt. Glacier conditions freeze bodies fast and prevent decomposition, according to Professor Muhammad Bilal, an environmental scientist at Comsats University. Low oxygen and moisture then cause the body to mummify in the glacier. Researchers previously found that climate change is altering the landscape across the northern regions of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan - part of an area referred to as The Third Pole for its high levels of ice. A 2023 International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development report found that Himalayan glaciers could lose up to two-thirds of their volume by the end of the century if current levels of emissions persist.
