Ramblings' Journal

Preserved bodies of WW I soldiers found on Italian glacier

The bodies of three Austrian soldiers have been found preserved in ice more than 80 years after their deaths in World War I.

They were found by Maurizio Vincenzi, the director of the military history museum at the small town of Peio in the Trentino region, member of a mountain rescue team and military history buff.

The bodies were found 3,400 metres up a mountain called San Matteo and are said to be exceptionally well preserved.

They had been spotted by Vincenzi as he scanned the glacier with binoculars and noticed marks on it.

The area where the bodies were found was the scene of a battle between Austrian and Italian troops in 1918. Museum officials believe that the unidentified soldiers were killed by a grenade. The bodies will be interred at a military cemetary.

Posted by mhking at August 25, 2004 06:43 AM