Remains of missing researcher discovered hidden in glacier on Antarctica after 60 years
The remains of a British researcher have been found hidden inside a glacier in Antarctica over 60 years after his initial disappearance, as a team of Polish scientists made the miraculous discovery.
It's well known that the brutal conditions of places like Antarctica can make survival challenging in certain situations, and one British researcher and meteorologist tragically perished after falling down a deep crack inside a glacier on King George Island, a Chilean territory just north of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Dennis "Tink" Bell fell multiple times in an attempt to escape the glacier, with the last proving fatal and putting him out of reach of any rescue attempts that would have at least allowed him to be returned to his family.
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However, in miraculous circumstances a new team of scientists have discovered Bell's remains inside the very glacier that caused his death in 1959, giving his family some much needed closure over 60 years after the incident took place.
As reported by Sky News, the stunning find was achieved by accident in January of this year, as the Polish scientists spotted scattered human remains among the glacier's rocks that had recently been moved and exposed.
The excavation wasn't immediate, as they had to return in February to carry out operations, but the team made sure to be as quick as possible to make sure that it wouldn't be covered by rocks or snow and lost again.
Alongside Bell's remains, the team also found a number of personal items including broken radio equipment, a torch, ski poles, an inscribed Erguel watch, a Swedish Mora knife, and an ebonite pipe stem, all of which are presumed to have belonged to the missing researcher.
Upon retrieving the body parts, DNA testing confirmed that they did indeed belong to Dennis Bell, putting an end to the mystery that had plagued his family and fellow researchers since the tragic event took place all those years ago.
Following the confirmation, Dennis Bell's remains have now been transported back home to London on the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, taking a path via the Falkland Islands on the way.
"When my sister Valerie and I were notified that our brother Dennis had been found after 66 years, we were shocked and amazed," recounted the researcher's brother, David Bell, adding that the discovery has "helped us come to terms with the tragic loss of our brilliant brother."
Three of the Polish scientists that were part of the recovery outlined in a statement that "every effort was made to ensure that Dennis could return home," with the BAS's director of operations Oliver Darke asserting that the find brings "important closure for the Bell family, who never knew what happened to their brother after his fall into the crevasse."