Melting glacier reveals well-preserved body missing for almost 30 years: 'The clothes were not even torn'

As the ice glaciers are melting, they're revealing things underneath. In Pakistan, a chance encounter uncovered a body that had been lost almost three decades ago. 

According to First Post, Naseeruddin went missing 28 years ago in Pakistan, and on Aug. 1, a shepherd came across his body after glaciers had melted. 

What's happening?

In 1997, Naseeruddin and his brother Kaseeruddin of the Saleh Khel tribe were forced to migrate from Palas Valley to Alai tehsil in Pakistan after a family feud. They went through the Supat Valley, but took an unusual route through the mountains to avoid trouble. Unfortunately, after arriving in Lady Valley of Kohistan in the morning, later that afternoon, they heard gunshots that led Naseeruddin into a cave where he was never seen again. 

Fast forward to 2025, a combination of unprecedented temperatures and less snowfall led to the sun melting the glaciers where Naseeruddin's body was found, with his ID.

According to First Post, the shepherd who found him told BBC Urdu: "The body was intact. The clothes were not even torn."

Comstats University Abbottabad professor Dr. Muhammad Bilal explained to the Express Tribune how this would be possible. He said that snow cover, low oxygen and humidity, and extreme cold temperatures in glaciers led to a mummification process that preserved the body. It can actually preserve it for decades or centuries. 

Why is melting glaciers concerning?

While the discovery of a long-lost person is good news, the melting of these glaciers is anything but. 

The Upper Kalam's Oshu village in Pakistan is feeling the effects of this firsthand. The village experienced flooding after heavy rain accelerated the melting of the ice. The glaciers were used as a source of irrigation for farming, but they are losing entire crops due to sudden flooding or droughts. 

Melting glaciers don't just affect crops; they're also a vital supply of drinking water, and when they melt and disappear, so does the drinking water supply. 

Tech investor and journalist Molly Wood explained in a blog post that extreme weather events, such as droughts, rain, and flooding, were always going to occur, but the warm temperatures are intensifying them. 

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What's being done about glaciers melting?

Some scientists, including those from West Virginia University, are working on ways to prepare communities for flash flooding. Researchers at this university have developed the West Virginia Flood Resiliency Framework to help communities strategize better for disaster response, qualify for mitigation grants, and receive FEMA support.  

Mitigating the fallout for communities due to melting glaciers is a complex problem, and that's why it's vital to explore critical climate issues to better understand how to tackle them. 

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