ISTANBUL – A team from National Geographic has reportedly discovered the remains of Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, a British mountaineer who vanished on Mount Everest nearly a century ago, according to an exclusive report by National Geographic.
Irvine, along with fellow climber George Mallory, attempted to summit the world’s highest peak in 1924. Their disappearance has sparked one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in climbing history: Did they reach the summit before their deaths?
Jimmy Chin, a photographer and director who led the expedition, recounted the pivotal moment of discovery. “I lifted up the sock,” Chin recalled. “And there’s a red label that has A.C. IRVINE stitched into it.”
Recognizing the significance of the find, Chin remarked, “We were all literally running in circles, dropping F-bombs.”
The discovery took place on the Central Rongbuk Glacier, near the location where Mallory’s body was found in 1999. While Mallory’s remains raised many questions, they offered no definitive answers about whether the two climbers reached the summit, as reported by National Geographic.
The key to solving this enduring mystery may lie with Irvine, who was believed to be carrying a camera that could contain crucial photographic evidence.
Irvine’s great-niece, Julie Summers, expressed a sense of closure upon learning the news. “It’s an object that belonged to him and has a bit of him in it,” she said of the boot discovered alongside the remains. “It tells the whole story about what probably happened.”
Summers and other relatives have volunteered DNA samples to help confirm the identity of the remains, marking a significant step toward solving one of mountaineering’s longest-standing enigmas.
ia/mnm/Sourced online (Anadolu)