Body of tourist missing 19 years ago found in Kazakhstan glacier

The body of a tourist who disappeared 19 years ago has been found in Kazakhstan, the deceased's daughter Nelya Mikheeva said.

The remains were found on the Seversov glacier. The deceased's daughter recognized the backpack belonging to her father in the published photos. Later, the investigator confirmed that an ID card in the name of the missing man was found inside the backpack.

The Belarusian tourists identified the remains and the items lying next to them during a two-week trip. They provided emergency services with the coordinates of the location, as well as photos and videos of the find. After that, rescuers were sent to the glacier. According to Mikheeva, the family had no information about the fate of their father for almost 20 years.

“Today is a happy day for me, although this joy does not come easily. After 19 years, my father’s body was found. The Seversov glacier began to melt, and Belarusian tourists found my father’s remains and backpack. Thank you for not passing by indifferently,” she said in her message.

A friend sent Mikheeva a photo of the found backpack. The daughter of the deceased immediately recognized the old Soviet backpack that her father used to carry when climbing mountains.

“In the morning, my friend sent me a post with a photo of the backpack and wrote, ‘It looks very similar to yours.’ When I looked, it really was my father’s backpack. It was an old Soviet backpack. In 2007, the possibility that someone else would climb the mountain with a backpack like that seemed very small to me. Later, my husband sent the same post and said, ‘Look, I think this is ours,’” Mikheeva says.

The deceased's daughter then contacted emergency services. Mikheeva was given the contact details of the rescuers and the investigator who were involved in the evacuation of the remains. Mikheeva sent the investigator her father's documents and photos of him with the backpack.

"The investigator asked us to send all the available documents and photos. I also sent photos of my father in the mountains with this backpack. After a while, the investigator called and said, 'A certificate issued in your father's name was found in the backpack,'" the deceased's daughter recalled.

Later, Mikheeva's sister met with investigators. She recognized her father's belongings and the remains.

Earlier, the bodies of two climbers who went missing 34 years ago were found in Switzerland. The bodies of the climbers were found due to the melting of the Trift glacier. They were 39 and 41 years old at the time of their disappearance.