Two climbers accidentally found the remains of popular mountaineer Alex Lowe and his cameraman David Bridges in Tibetan glacier last week. The news was confirmed by Lowe's family and a charitable foundation, named after the world's renowned climber in the 1990s.
Lowe and Bridges vanished after being hit by a Himalayan avalanche in 1999. Last week, German climber David Göttler and Swiss climber Ueli Steck suspected that the bodies they discovered wrapped in blue ice were of Lowe and the cameraman. Lowe's best friend and also a companion during the expedition Conrad Anker confirmed that the remains belong to the mountaineer and Bridges.
In a statement posted on Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation website, Jenni Lowe-Anker, Lowe's then-wife, expressed her relief after her first husband was found. "Alex's parents are thankful to know that their son's body has been found and that Conrad, the boys and I will make our pilgrimage to Shishapangma. It is time to put Alex to rest."
Lowe and Bridges were buried under piles of snow on Oct. 5, 1999 during an avalanche. The two men, together with Anker, planned to be the first Americans to ski down the 14th highest mountain in the world. They were set to appear in the documentary series "The North Face Expeditions," hosted by NBC Sports in the Shishapangma mountain in Tibet.
"After 16½years, this brings closure and relief for me and Jenni and for our family," Anker added in the statement shared on the website.
Anker sustained a head injury, dislocated shoulders and a broken rib, but survived the accident, NBC News reported. A search operation was launched to find the two men, but they failed. In 2001, Anker married Lowe's widow. He also adopted Lowe's three sons.
In the same year after Lowe's disappearance, Lowe-Anker started the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation. It sustains the Khumbu Climbing Center that offers technical training for local Himalayan mountain workers.
Anker claimed that finding Lowe brings closure and relief to him and the family. They are planning to recover the bodies of Lowe and Bridges during the summer. A solemn ceremony is also likely to take place in a neighboring town in Nyalam, Tibet.
Watch the video below about how the bodies of Lowe and Bridges were found in Tibetan glacier: