Status: 07/11/2022 5:15 p.m
For two days, hundreds of people were stuck in the snow on a mountain pass between Argentina and Chile, in a storm and sub-zero temperatures. Now everyone could be saved. The pass remains closed for the time being.
More than 450 people have been rescued after a heavy snowstorm in the Andes between Argentina and Chile. This was reported by the Argentine newspaper “La Nación”, citing rescue workers. According to the Telam news agency, those affected were taken to the cultural center of the Uspallata high oasis in the province of Mendoza for medical care and food, which was converted into emergency accommodation.
tourists and truck drivers
Most of them were tourists from Mendoza who were traveling in the high mountains, but truck drivers were also surprised by the storm. “The last 60 people are already being brought down by trucks and caterpillar vehicles,” the Mendoza regional government tweeted.
On the Argentine side of the border, 120 people were rescued by the police and military early in the morning and taken to emergency shelters in nearby towns.
“Terrible for the kids”
The storm started on Saturday after a sudden wind shift. More than 300 vehicles were snowed in and stuck on a connecting road between Argentina and Chile in a foothill of the Andes.
“People were shocked because they had spent the whole night outdoors, with strong winds and sub-zero temperatures. It was terrible for the children,” quoted “La Nación” Fabián Tello, head of the crisis team set up by the Las Heras municipality. Dozens of vehicles were also stuck on the Chilean side.
The mountain pass “Paso Cristo Redentor” at an altitude of 3200 meters, which connects Mendoza and the Chilean capital Santiago de Chile, remained closed at minus eleven degrees. The province of Mendoza is around 1200 kilometers west of Buenos Aires. The region is currently experiencing a polar cold spell, a rather unusual phenomenon despite the winter.
Snowstorm in the Andes: Hundreds of people snowed in
7/11/2022 12:16 p.m