Human remains recently found on the Vedretta di Lares glacier in the Italian Alps have been identified as those of a World War I soldier, according to officials. Alpine rescue teams responded to the discovery at an elevation exceeding 10,000 feet, following a report from the Ministry of Defense and Italian news outlets.
The body was revealed as the glacier melted and receded, exposing the remains that had been trapped in ice for over a century. While the body itself had decomposed, officials noted that the uniform and equipment were well-preserved. According to L’Adige, these items allowed authorities to determine that the individual was an Austro-Hungarian soldier from World War I.
Trento Today reported that it is likely the soldier fell into the ice between 1915 and 1918. The office of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage of the Autonomous Province of Trento – Archaeological Heritage Office analyzed the remains. Further study will be conducted in hopes of identifying the soldier.
Officials said this is not an isolated incident. Over recent years, several bodies belonging to Austro-Hungarian and Italian troops have been uncovered as glaciers retreat, especially near cave barracks built close to mountain summits. These findings were highlighted by The New York Times in 2021 (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/24/world/europe/italy-alps-glacier-soldiers.html).
The soldiers were part of what has been called the White War—a campaign fought under extreme winter conditions that required significant adaptation for survival. National Geographic reported in 2014 (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/140611-white-war-wwi-italian-frontier) that only about one-third of approximately 150,000 men who died in these battles perished due to combat; most deaths resulted from avalanches, landslides, frostbite, or illnesses caused by severe cold.
Translation tools were used to interpret information from official social media posts and Italian news sources.
