Remains of British explorer found on Mount Everest 100 years after disappearance

The partial remains of a British mountaineer are believed to have been found on Mount Everest, 100 years after he went missing.

Andrew “Sandy” Irvine vanished along with fellow explorer George Mallory while trying to scale the mountain as part of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition.

Now a sock embroidered with “AC Irvine” and a boot have been discovered on the Central Rongbuk Glacier below the North Face of Mount Everest.

Andrew “Sandy” Irvine name on the sock in the boot. / Credit: Jimmy Chin/ National Geographic/ PA

Aged 22, Irvine was the youngest member of the expedition which aimed to be the first to summit the 8,849-metre peak.

Irvine and Mallory disappeared on the mountain’s upper slopes on 8 June 1924.

They were last seen about 800 feet from the summit.

For decades, historians and climbers have theorised whether the duo reached the top before their deaths.

If Irvine and Mallory succeeded, they would have reached Everest’s summit some 29 years before Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s historic ascent.

In the last photo taken of the mountaineers, George Mallory (left) and Sandy Irvine prepare to leave the North Col of Everest in June 1924. / Credit: Noel E. Odell/ Royal Geographical Society

Irvine’s remains were discovered by a team funded by National Geographic Documentary Films for an upcoming documentary.

Irvine’s descendants have volunteered to compare DNA test results to confirm his identity.

His sock and boot were found at a lower altitude than George Mallory’s remains, which were discovered in 1999 by climber Conrad Anker.

Irvine’s great-niece and biographer, Julie Summers, said she had been “moved to tears” when she found out about the discovery.

“I have lived with this story since I was a seven-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest,” she said.

“The story became more real when climbers found the body of George Mallory in 1999, and I wondered if Sandy’s body would be discovered next.

“A quarter-of-a-century after that discovery, it seemed extremely unlikely that anything new would be found.

“When Jimmy told me that he saw the name AC Irvine on the label on the sock inside the boot, I found myself moved to tears. It was and will remain an extraordinary and poignant moment.”

Jimmy Chin, climb team member and National Geographic Explorer. / Credit: Jimmy Chin/ National Geographic/ PA

Climb team member and National Geographic Explorer Jimmy Chin said: “Sometimes in life, the greatest discoveries occur when you aren’t even looking.

“This was a monumental and emotional moment for us and our entire team on the ground, and we just hope this can finally bring peace of mind to his relatives and the climbing world at large.”