U.K. scientist’s remains found on Antarctic glacier 66 years on

FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2015 file photo, wooden arrows show the distances to various cities on King George Island, Antarctica.

LONDON, U.K. — The remains of a British meteorologist who died in an Antarctic expedition in 1959 have been recovered six decades later from a glacier, the British Antarctic Survey said Monday.

They were identified by DNA-testing as those of Dennis “Tink” Bell, who died aged 25 when he was working for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey, which became the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the U.K.’s polar research institute.

Bell died on Admiralty Bay on King George Island, located 120 kilometres (75 miles) off the coast of Antarctica on July 26, 1959.

He was stationed on the island for a two-year assignment at a small U.K. research base.

Bell and three other men had set out to climb and survey a glacier, when he fell through a crevasse -- a deep chasm in the ice. His body was never recovered.

The remains, which were exposed by a receding glacier, were found on January 19 by a team from the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station.

“This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science,” said BAS director Jane Francis.

The bone fragments were carried to the Falkland Islands by the BAS Royal Research Ship Sir David Attenborough, and then brought to London for DNA testing.

Alongside his remains, the Polish team also found over 200 personal items including radio equipment, a flashlight, ski poles, an inscribed wristwatch and a Swedish-brand knife.

Bell’s brother David Bell, who lives in Australia, said the discovery after 66 years left him and his sister “shocked and amazed”.

“Dennis was the oldest of three siblings and was my hero as he seemed to be able to turn his hand to anything,” said his brother.

Francis said the confirmation of the remains “is both a poignant and profound moment for all of us at British Antarctic Survey”.

Bell “was one of the many brave ... personnel who contributed to the early science and exploration of Antarctica under extraordinarily harsh conditions,” she added.