About 200 people, mostly tourists and truckers, are trapped in a mountainous area between Argentina and Chile because of a snowstorm, officials said on Sunday. The temperature faced in the region is -10ºC.
Another 120 people were rescued overnight by police and military personnel in the Argentine cities of Las Cuevas, Los Penitentes and Puente del Inca, more than 3,000 meters high at the foot of the Andes mountain range.
“There are temperatures of -10ºC and more than a meter of snow accumulated on the roads”, said Héctor Tello, representative of the city of Las Heras, in the province of Mendoza, in statements to channel C5N.
Some vehicles have been stuck since Saturday (9) because of the snow. “All were and continue to be supplied with hot water and food by the border police,” said Tello. In the convoy of trapped cars there are families, including small children.
By the time the storm worsened on Saturday, there were more than 300 vehicles stranded on the stretch linking the two countries. According to authorities, it was not possible to continue the trip because of the fog and the accumulation of snow.
Road trucks had to clear the routes to allow the rescue, which, according to the newspaper Clarín, was started with vehicles that managed to continue their journey in the conditions of the road.
Also according to the Argentine publication, the operation was aggravated because two cargo trucks collided on the highway. The rescue continues and is expected to continue through Monday as weather conditions remain poor.
