Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — A National Geographic documentary team has uncovered what is believed to be a fragment of Andrew “Sandy” Irvine’s leg, potentially shedding light on the mystery surrounding his disappearance during a 1924 Mount Everest expedition. This discovery could solve a 100-year-old question after the missing Everest climber attempted to become the first to summit the world’s highest peak.
The foot, still inside a boot labeled “A.C. Irvine,” was discovered by filmmaker and mountaineer Jimmy Chin and his team during a recent expedition.
“This is the first concrete evidence of Sandy’s last location,” Chin stated as reported by CNN on Friday, October 11. “There have been many theories over the years about where he might have ended up.”
The discovery is now under investigation, with DNA testing being conducted to confirm the foot’s identity by comparing it with samples from Irvine’s surviving family members.
The find occurred after the team had stumbled upon an old oxygen canister from 1993, a previous expedition that had also failed to locate Irvine’s body. Shortly afterward, the team found Irvine’s ice axe on the northeastern ridge of Everest, fueling hopes that they were closing in on his remains.
Guided by the ice axe discovery, Chin’s team scoured the glacier for several days before finally locating the boot containing the foot fragment.
“I think the ice may have melted just a week before we got there,” Chin said, referring to the grisly discovery.
The remains were quickly packed into a cooler and brought down from the mountain to be handed over to the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA).
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Attempt to Become The First to Summit Everest
Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, a British mountaineer, vanished on June 8, 1924, alongside fellow climber George Mallory during a historic attempt to become the first to summit Mount Everest. Whether or not they reached the peak has remained one of mountaineering’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
Mallory’s body was found in 1999, but Irvine’s body, along with a camera the climbers carried, potentially holding evidence of whether they reached the summit, was never recovered.
This latest discovery may provide new clues about Irvine’s fate, though DNA testing is still needed to confirm the ownership of the boot. If proven to belong to Irvine, the finding could finally unlock some answers to the enduring Everest mystery.
(Raidi/Agung)
