An 86-year-old climber has been reunited with his backpack and equipment more than 60 years after he lost them on an Austrian glacier.
A tourist found the items in July on the Sulztalferner glacier in the Tyrol region, at an altitude of 2,955 metres. The glacier is connected to Italy by the two main galleries of the Brenner Base Tunnel. The recovered gear included an ice axe, a camera and a pipe dating from the 1950s or 1960s.
Austrian police launched an investigation and identified the owner using heavily damaged documents found inside the backpack.
The man had fallen into a crevasse while crossing the glacier with friends in August 1963. Because the group was roped together, his companions were able to pull him to safety. He took off his backpack and threw it into the crevasse to reduce his weight during the rescue.
Police said the man was too ill to collect the items himself, so the belongings were returned to his son.
Melting ice reveals history
Accelerated melting of European glaciers, which scientists say is largely driven by human-caused global warming, has exposed ancient ecosystems, human remains and historical relics in recent decades.
In 2015, Italian military barracks from the First World War were discovered on Mount Scorluzzo, a peak towering over the Stelvio Pass. The troops had sheltered there during the White War against the Austro-Hungarian army. The bodies of dozens of soldiers, some still in uniform, have been recovered from the melting Alpine ice over the past 20 years.
South Korean pastors fined
In a separate incident, a court in South Korea has fined two pastors 724 dollars each for preaching loudly on a domestic flight.
The pastors, who are both over 60, stood in the aisle and argued with passengers who protested against the disturbance they were creating.
