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Chilean Police Find Bodies of Three Missing Argentine Mountaineers
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — On Monday, the Chilean police announced the discovery of the bodies of three Argentine mountaineers who had been missing since last Wednesday in the Andes Mountains. In a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, the force stated that personnel from the Special Operations Group of the institution “found the bodies of the three missing Argentine mountaineers on Cerro Marmolejo.”

The missing mountaineers were identified as the mayor of the town of General San Martín, Raúl Espir, the notary Sergio Berardo, and the mountain guide Ignacio Javier Lucero. The group, initially made up of six people, ascended Cerro Marmolejo on the Argentine side of the Andes on Wednesday, and on the 28th, three of them descended on the Chilean side, while the remaining three stayed in the massif, according to survivors who reported this to the Chilean police on Saturday.

The Chilean National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response and the Andean Rescue Corps began the search on the same Saturday. Meanwhile, the vice president-elect of Argentina, Victoria Villarruel, appealed to Chilean President Gabriel Boric on Sunday to help rescue their compatriots.

Captain Camilo Carvacho of the police special operations group said that the bodies will be transported to the mountaineers’ camp, while the director of the national prevention service, Miguel Muñoz, announced the suspension of rescue operations “due to a front of bad weather.”

This tragic event has deeply saddened the mountaineering community in both Argentina and Chile. The families and friends of the victims are mourning their loss, and the entire mountaineering community is reminded of the risks and challenges that come with venturing into the mountains. The authorities have reminded all hikers and mountaineers to be cautious and prepared when undertaking such expeditions.

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