The mummified remains of a woman discovered on a mountain in the Andes have been identified as a climber whose body disappeared 41 years ago.
Marta Emilia Altamirano, better known as Patty, tragically died during an expedition in the Andes in March 1981.
The 20-year-old woman had slipped on ice at an altitude of around 5,000 metres, causing her to fall hundreds of metres to her death — according to her sister who had accompanied her.
Since then, at least four expeditions have taken place over the years in an effort to locate Patty's body, but all had failed to find her.
Eventually, the search was dropped and her disappearance became a legend in the nearby mountain village of Barreal in Argentina’s San Juan province.
But on January 28 this year a body was found on the Cerro Mercedario, the highest peak of the Cordillera de la Ramada range and the eighth-highest mountain in the Andes.
It was discovered at an altitude of around 5,000 metres and shortly after was confirmed to have been a woman aged between 18 and 30 years.
The climber’s mummified remains were found attached to a glacier and the authorities had to break the ice to extract it.
Patty had embarked on the fateful expedition alongside her sister, Corina, and experienced climber, Segio Bossini, on March 23, 1982 from Barreal, according to a news report at the time.
The trio began their ascent to the summit on March 27 before stopping to set up camp at an altitude of over 5,000 metres at around 7pm.
Patty then went off alone to survey the surrounding area and lost her footing, sliding hundreds of metres down an icy slope.
Corina and Sergio searched for her throughout the night but were unable to find her.
The following morning, they found Patty but she had sadly already passed away.
Because of brutal weather conditions and difficult terrain, the pair decided they wouldn't be able to bring Patty's body back down with them, so left to ask for help.
On March 29 they arrived at the nearest gendarmerie post to report the tragic incident.
However, within that time snow and ice had buried Patty's body and by the time authorities assembled a search team they were unable to find her.
The following year another search operation was launched, but again they failed in their attempts to locate Patty.
In the subsequent years, at least two other unsuccessful search operations were carried out to find Patty’s remains.
Authorities announced earlier this week that the body discovered last week was Patty.
On February 2 her four siblings travelled to the area and confirmed that they recognised clothes and belongings as Patty's.
Days later, DNA results then also confirmed that the mummified body was the young woman who fell to her death nearly 42 years ago.
Patty’s sister Corina Altamirano said: “The four of us were able to find out it's her.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to know this with certainty. We now feel a kind of deep peace.”
Patty's family said her remains will now be taken to Tucumán in northwest Argentina so other relatives can say goodbye before cremating her.
They then plan to sprinkle Patty’s ashes on the mountain she died on as “that was her wish”.
