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Bodies of Two Belgian Mountaineers Missing Since 1992 Found in Swiss Alps

4 sources across 4 countries · Germany · Hungary · Italy · Switzerland

Who reported this

  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • Neue Zuercher Zeitung Switzerland · Centre-right · Dispersed shareholders, no controlling stake

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
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The bodies of two Belgian mountaineers who disappeared 34 years ago have been discovered on the Trift Glacier in the Swiss canton of Wallis. A hiker first spotted the remains on July 26 near the Italian border. Following a recovery operation, the remains were taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine at the Wallis Hospital in Sion. DNA analysis formally identified the men as being 39 and 41 years old at the time of their disappearance. The pair had set out from the Weissmies hut on September 4, 1992, attempting to climb the Weissmies peak, which stands at over 4,000 meters. They never reached their destination due to poor weather conditions. While several search operations followed their disappearance, only a backpack was recovered at the time. Local police noted that the melting of glaciers is increasingly releasing the remains of people who disappeared decades ago. The Wallis police maintain a list of missing persons dating back over 100 years. Other recent finds in the region include a Swiss man missing since 1994 and a couple who disappeared in 1942.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
The reporting emphasized the role of melting glaciers as the cause for the discovery.
Centre
The reporting focused on the factual timeline of the disappearance and the police confirmation of the identities.
Centre-right
The reporting framed the event within the broader context of climate change and provided detailed statistics on the danger of the Wallis Alps.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.