Foot of British explorer missing for 100 years found on Mount Everest

TPO - The feet of a British explorer who went missing more than 100 years ago while climbing Mount Everest have finally been found. Andrew Comyn "Sandy" Irvine, 22, went missing along with climber George Mallory in June 1924. The two were trying to become the first people to climb the world's highest mountain.

The boot contained a sock with Irvine’s name on it and part of a foot found on Mount Everest. (Photo: Jimmy Chin)

Whether the two climbers ever reached the summit before their deaths remains a mystery. Mallory’s remains were discovered in 1999, where he was presumed missing, along with a photograph of his wife that he had intended to leave at the summit.

Irvine, who was carrying a Kodak camera that may have recorded the historic climb, was never found. The summit was officially conquered for the first time 29 years later, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Everest in 1953.

Now, a National Geographic documentary crew, including Oscar-winning director Jimmy Chin and climbers and filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher, have found what they believe to be Irvine’s foot. The foot, encased in a boot and wearing a sock embroidered with the wearer’s name, was discovered on the Rongbuk Glacier in the heart of Everest, further down the mountain than Mallory’s remains.

“I picked up the sock,” Chin told National Geographic, “and there was a red label that said AC IRVINE embroidered on it.”

Irvine and Mallory were last seen on June 8, 1924, as they began their climb to the summit of Everest. One of their expedition companions, Noel Odell, reported that they had spotted the two men near the second of the three segments of the mountain as two small black dots. One of the dots quickly disappeared.

Mallory's body was found less than 600 meters from the summit by American climber Conrad Anker. Mallory's body was tied with a rope around her waist and had injuries.

The team reported their new findings to the Tibetan Mountaineering Association, which issues climbing permits on the north side of Everest. The findings were also reported to the Royal Geographical Society, Britain, which organized the Irvine and Mallory expedition, and to Irvine’s niece, Julie Summers.

“When I was seven years old, I heard about Uncle Sandy’s mystery on Everest. When I heard that AC Irvine’s sock had been found, I was in tears,” Summers told the Guardian.

The Irvine family has volunteered to undergo DNA testing to confirm their identity. If Irvine's camera is found and it can be proven that they climaxed, history could be rewritten.

Ha Thu

According to Live Science

Source: https://tienphong.vn/tim-thay-ban-chan-cua-nha-tham-hiem-nguoi-anh-mat-tich-100-nam-tren-dinh-everest-post1682249.tpo