Five tourists, including two Germans, two Mexicans, and a British national, were killed in a powerful snowstorm in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Patagonia, authorities said on Tuesday (November 18). Four more missing people have been found alive, authorities said, Reuters reported.
According to Jose Antonio Ruiz, the presidential delegate for Chile’s southern Magallanes region, negotiations have begun with representatives of the countries of origin to repatriate the bodies of those killed in this powerful snowstorm.
Authorities said that the harsh weather conditions made it difficult to recover the bodies.
“I extend my deepest condolences,” Gabriel Boric, the youngest president in Chile’s history, said in a message on social media to the families of the victims. “Know that you have the full support and collaboration of Chilean authorities and institutions during these difficult times.”
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Guillermo Ruiz, the presidential representative for the province of Ultima Esperanza, told reporters that the tourists became lost at the Los Perros camp (an important trekking camp) in the national park. According to him, the trek is only four to five hours’ walk from the closest accessible point by vehicle.
The snowstorm hit Torres del Paine National Park in the country’s southern Patagonia region and its surrounding areas, with wind speeds exceeding 193 km/h (120 mph), equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.
This article includes reporting from Reuters.