A MUMMIFIED hiker who went missing 28 years ago was found in an icy glacier – with his body and clothes shockingly well-preserved.
The incredible discovery was made by a local shepherd, who found the lost traveller in the mountainous Kohistan region in eastern Pakistan.
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After alerting cops, authorities found an ID card on the man with the name Naseeruddin.
They then managed to track down a hiker who vanished in the area in June 1997 after reportedly plunging into a glacier crack amid a snowstorm.
Shocked shepherd Omar Khan told the BBC after finding the man: “What I saw was unbelievable.
“The body was intact. The clothes were not even torn.”
He added that locals started offering up more info about the man after police confirmed the hiker was Naseeruddin.
It was later confirmed that the missing traveller had a wife and two kids.
He was hiking with his brother Kathiruddin, on horseback on the day he went missing.
Cops explained that an argument among the family forced the two men to leave their home.
The missing man’s brother said the pair had arrived in the so-called Lady Valley the morning he vanished.
At some point in the afternoon, Naseeruddin stepped into a cave – but he never returned.
Kathiruddin told how he and a group of others searched the cave tirelessly – but never found his brother.
Nearly three decades later on August 1, his body was found in near perfect condition after being frozen in time.
Extreme cold, low humidity, reduced oxygen and covers of snow all contribute to a natural mummification process which can in some cases preserve human remains for centuries, experts explained.
He was 33 years old when he vanished and belonged to a tribe called Saleh Khel.
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Authorities launched DNA tests to confirm his identity – and family and friends have reportedly been able to recognise him.
His incredibly well-preserved facial features and helped relatives to identify him.
Previous rumours that the hiker was murdered during his trip in 1997 have now been quashed following the astonishing discovery.
And his family have now been given answers after years of uncertainty.
The Kohistan region is known for its pastures, lakes, and forests, and is a seasonal destination for local herders.
Last year, a mummified body of a climber who vanished 22 years ago was discovered entombed in ice in Peru.
William Stampfl was swept away by an avalanche in June 2002 on the side of the Huascaran mountain.
A frantic search for the missing climber at the time proved fruitless and his body was buried under the snowy peak for two decades.
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