Peruvian mountain police and mountain rescue workers gather around the remains of American climber William Stampfl who went missing in 2002 and is suspected to have died in an avalanche, in Huascaran, in this undated handout picture received by Reuters July 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Peruvian police and mountain rescue workers recovered the body of an American climber who went missing in 2002 as glaciers in Peru’s highest mountain and surrounding area continue to retreat.

The mummified, skeletal corpse still had well-preserved climbing boots, crampons and clothing, as well as a driver’s license and passport belonging to William Stampfl. Stampfl is suspected to have died in an avalanche more than 20 years ago.

In a statement, police say they recovered his body on July 5 at an altitude of 5,200 meters (17,060.37 ft), well below Huascaran’s 6,768-meter summit.

Glacial mass in the region has been retreating for about the last 10 years, said Edson Ramirez, a park ranger and risk assessor for the Huascaran National Park. “What was buried years ago is coming to the surface.”

Peru has an estimated 68% of the world’s tropical glaciers, which are among the most vulnerable ice packs in a warming planet. A November report by Peru’s government shows the country has lost 56% of its tropical glaciers in the last six decades.

Many of those glaciers lie in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca, where the Huascaran and other iconic mountains draw thousands of climbers a year.

Police and prosecutors stand outside President Dina Boluarte’s house during a raid aimed at seizing Rolex watches as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged illicit enrichment in Lima, Peru, on March 30, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Televised images swept Peru late on March 29 of government agents from an investigative team breaking into the President’s residence with a sledgehammer in a raid authorized by the judiciary at the request of the attorney general’s office.

Dina Boluarte is being preliminarily investigated for possessing an undisclosed collection of luxury watches since she came to power in July 2021 as Vice President and Social Inclusion Minister, and then as President in December 2022.

Initially, she claimed ownership of at least one Rolex as a long-held possession acquired through “personal gains” since the age of 18, urging the media not to delve into personal matters.

Earlier in the week, Attorney General Juan Villena criticized Ms. Boluarte’s request to delay her appearance before the court for two weeks, emphasizing her obligation to cooperate with the investigation.

Political turmoil is nothing new in Peru, which has seen six presidents in the last five years. But many see Ms. Boluarte’s recent statements as contradicting her earlier pledge to speak truthfully to prosecutors, exacerbating a political crisis stemming from her unexplained ownership of Rolex watches.

The Attorney General emphasized Boluarte’s obligation to promptly produce the three Rolex watches for investigation, cautioning against their disposal or destruction.

Ms. Boluarte, a 61-year-old lawyer, ascended from a modest district official to vice president under President Pedro Castillo in July 2021, subsequently assuming the presidency in December 2022 following Castillo’s impeachment after he attempted to dissolve congress and rule by decree.

At least 49 people were killed in the protests that followed.

Critics accuse Ms, Boluarte’s government of taking an increasingly authoritarian bent as it staves off demands for early elections and works with members of congress on laws that threaten to undermine the independence of Peru’s judicial system.