Mexico search team finds 2nd frozen body near volcano’s summit

A search party found a second frozen body while ascending Mexico’s Pico de Orizaba volcano to recover the mummified remains of a man discovered last weekend, local authorities said.

Juan Navarro, the mayor of the central town of Chalchicomula de Sesma, located in Puebla state near the mountain, confirmed that the two mummified and frozen bodies were both found at an altitude of 5,270 meters (17,278 feet).

Last weekend, six climbers stumbled upon the frozen body of a man who may have fallen and been buried a half a century ago. They notified the Mexican Red Cross search team, who embarked early Thursday on an expedition to recover the body.

After finding the first remains, they broke the ice and found the second frozen body alongside, which leads them to conclude that the climbers died in each other’s arms, two members of the search team, Hilario Aguilar and Francisco Rodriguez, said in a press conference Friday after descending the volcano.

They said the first body had a head wound that indicates he suffered a severe fall, while the second was holding onto his companion, adding that each was discovered with small fragments of clothing.

Dense fog has thus far prevented the remains from being brought down off the mountain.

The mayor said he has received calls from several countries, including France, Spain and Germany, requesting that they be kept updated on the identification of the bodies since there are records of professional climbers missing for years after ascending that volcano.

Pico de Orizaba, a 5,630meter (18,400foot) volcano that straddles the border between the states of Puebla and Veracruz, is the highest mountain in Mexico and the thirdhighest summit in North America.