(CNN) A Scottish mountaineer who spent weeks searching for two friends who disappeared in the Himalayas more than 30 years ago has spoken of his relief after their remains were finally found.

The bodies of Icelanders Kristinn Runarsson and Thorsteinn Gudjonsson were discovered at the bottom of a glacier by an American climber last month, according to a report from the Church of Scotland.

Climber Steve Aisthorpe, a Church official, was with the two men during an October 1988 expedition to climb Pumori, a challenging 7,161 meter (23,494 foot) mountain near Everest, and said the discovery had united those who knew the pair and had brought closure.

"The discovery of the remains of Thorsteinn and Kristinn after so many years has inevitably brought many emotions to the surface for all who knew and loved these wonderful guys," he said.

"But it has also brought people together and, I pray, will help with greater closure and, in time, peace."

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