GENEVA: Wreckage from a 1968 plane crashed in the Swiss Alps has been discovered on a glacier more than 54 years on, police said Friday. Pieces emerged on the Aletsch Glacier in the southwestern Wallis canton near the Jungfrau and Monch mountain peaks.
Wallis police said the wreckage was found on Thursday.
The parts were found to be from the wreckage of a Piper Cherokee, registration HB-OYL, which crashed at this location on June 30, 1968. The recovery work will be undertaken as soon as possible, police said.
The 24 Heures regional newspaper said that a teacher, a chief medical officer and his son were all from Zurich.
They had a fatal accident 500 metres south of the Jungfraujoch saddle between the two peaks. The bodies were recovered at the time, but the wreckage was not.
The police said that the technical means to recover aircraft wreckage in difficult terrain were limited at the time of the accident.
Due to the melting of the glaciers, it is possible that other pieces or pieces of wreckage may be released from the ice.
These elements must not be handled in case of discovery in order to avoid any risk of injury. They must be reported immediately to the police. 24 Heures reported that a mountain guide discovered the wreckage during an expedition in the area.
The route has changed due to climate change and the melting of glacier, and now passes where the plane pieces were found.