Patagonian blizzard kills 5 foreign tourists in Chile

Pallade Veneta - Patagonian blizzard kills 5 foreign tourists in Chile

Patagonian blizzard kills 5 foreign tourists in Chile / Photo: Juan BARRETO - AFP

Five foreign tourists: two Mexicans, two Germans and a Brit, died when a blizzard hit the Patagonian Torres del Paine nature reserve, Chile's most visited foreign tourist spot, authorities said Tuesday.

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The visitors were caught off guard Monday while exploring the park famed for its granite peaks, glaciers and wildlife -- some 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) south of Chile's capital Santiago.

Initially reporting two dead and seven missing, regional government official Jose Antonio Ruiz updated the toll to five later in the day.

Four were rescued alive, but Ruiz did not specify their nationalities or their health status.

Soldiers and police joined the search effort in the park designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1978.

In 2024, more than 367,000 tourists visited the reserve and its hiking trails, according to the latest available figures from the Conaf national forestry body.

The weather forecast for Torres del Paine has been for sleet and strong winds, which diminishes visibility for hikers who may stray from the park's dedicated trails as a result, Juan Carlos Andrades of the Senapred emergency response unit told AFP.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric, in a message on X, offered his condolences to the loved ones of the five who died in what he described as a "tragedy."

F.Abruzzese--PV

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Pallade Veneta - Patagonian blizzard kills 5 foreign tourists in Chile