A man has been left "shocked and amazed" after his brother's remains were recovered from Antarctica 66 years after he was lost, having fallen into a glacial crevasse.

Dennis "Tink" Bell -- a British meteorologist -- was 25 when he died in the glacier at Admiralty Bay on King George Island, part of the South Shetland Islands off the Antarctic Peninsula, in July 1959.

He had been working for the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), the predecessor to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), and was on route to conduct a scientific survey when a crevasse bridge collapsed under him.

A tragedy during a rescue effort caused him to fall back down into the crevasse, where he died. At the time, it was not possible to recover his body.

The recent discovery of his remains -- which were subsequently identified by DNA analysis -- was made among rocks newly exposed by the retreat of Ecology Glacier.

The Polish research team that came across Bell's body also found more than 200 personal items with him, including radio equipment, a flashlight, ski poles, a Swedish Mora knife, an inscribed Erguel wristwatch and an ebonite pipe stem.

"When my sister Valerie and I were notified that our brother Dennis had been found after 66 years we were shocked and amazed," Bell's brother, David, said in a statement.

"The British Antarctic Survey and British Antarctic Monument Trust have been a tremendous support and together with the sensitivity of the Polish team in bringing him home have helped us come to terms with the tragic loss of our brilliant brother."

Bell's remains were transported to the Falkland Islands by a BAS Royal Research Ship, where they were placed in the care of His Majesty's Coroner for the British Antarctic Territory, Malcolm Simmons. Simmons accompanied them from Stanley to London, England supported by the Royal Air Force.

DNA testing was conducted by Professor Denise Syndercombe Court, a forensic genetics specialist at King's College London, who confirmed a match with samples from Bell's brother David and sister Valerie.

The results showed they were "more than one billion times" more likely to be related than not.

"The confirmation of the remains found on Ecology Glacier as those of Dennis 'Tink' Bell is both a poignant and profound moment for all of us at British Antarctic Survey," BAS Director professor Dame Jane Francis said in a statement.

"Dennis was one of the many brave FIDS personnel who contributed to the early science and exploration of Antarctica under extraordinarily harsh conditions.

"Even though he was lost in 1959, his memory lived on among colleagues and in the legacy of polar research. This discovery brings closure to a decades-long mystery and reminds us of the human stories embedded in the history of Antarctic science."

Bell grew up in London, England. His brother described him as his "hero" who excelled at mechanics, photography and radio building -- and who preferred socializing to organized sport.

After a brief period in insurance, he joined the Royal Air Force for National Service, training as a radio operator before signing on with FIDS in 1958 for a two-year assignment at the U.K. base at Admiralty Bay.

On July 26, 1959, Bell and surveyor Jeff Stokes set out ahead of two colleagues, meteorologist Ken Gibson and geologist Colin Barton, with two dog sledges to climb the glacier for survey and geological work.

After negotiating a crevassed area, Bell moved ahead without skis to urge on the dogs, when he fell through an icy bridge across one crevasse.

Stokes managed to lower down a rope to him, but Bell tragically tied it through his belt rather than around his body. As he was hauled up, the belt broke and he fell again -- after which, he no longer responded to Stokes' calls.

Sir Vivian Fuchs, then director of BAS, described the accident in his book Of Ice and Men as "a particularly tragic fatality which one really felt should never have happened, and thus doubly grievous."

A rescue team set out to save the researcher, but worsening weather made locating the site of the crevasse difficult.

Gibson later recalled: "It was probably twelve hours before we found the site and there was no way he could have survived."

Bell's return to his family ends a 66-year search for answers.