Climber William Stampfl's body has been found after 22 years on Mount Huascaran in Peru

Police in the Ancash region said they found the body of William Stampfl on Friday near a camp 17,060ft above sea level. The 58-year-old Mr Stampfl had been trying to climb the 22,205ft Mount Huascaran.

Police said Mr Stampfl’s body and clothing were preserved by the ice and freezing temperatures. They said the body was easy to identify also because the climber had been carrying his driving licence.

Hundreds of climbers visit the mountain each year with local guides, and it takes them about a week to reach the summit. Mr Stampfl died with friends Matthew Richardson and Steve Erskine when they attempted the ascent in 2002. Mr Erskine’s body was found shortly after the avalanche, but Mr Richardson’s is still missing.

Mr Stampfl’s body was brought down the mountain over the weekend by guides and police officers and put in a morgue in the city of Huaraz.

Nine years ago three Ecuadorian mountain climbers died in Huascaran National Park on the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. Their bodies were found in the Yungay province of Ancash.