The victim, Naseeruddin from Palas, disappeared in 1997 during a trip from Kohistan s Sapat Valley. Since then, neither he nor his horse was ever recovered, which kept the incident mysterious for decades.

The enigma was finally unraveled when villagers recently retrieved Naseeruddin s body, as well as that of his horse, from the glacier. Because of the intense cold at such a lofty height, the bodies were incredibly preserved, with little decomposition even after almost three decades.

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Authorities retrieved his national identity card and personal effects, which verified his identity after all these years. The bizarre discovery has left the community bewildered. Experts explain that this is uncommon, yet achievable in glaciers that are kept well below freezing all year round.

The glacier is situated in Upper Kohistan, presently a part of Kolai-Palas District, which was established in 2017 after the administrative division of Kohistan.

Spanning 7,492 square kilometers, the district is bounded to the north by Gilgit-Baltistan, to the east by Mansehra, and to the west by Battagram, Shangla, and Swat.