MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile-bound lorries stranded in the middle of the Andes due to bad weather

Heavy rainstorm caused structural damage to the roads in that area, with both landslides and cracks

Some 2,000 lorries bound for Chile have been reported to be stranded in the middle of the Andes due to the closure of the Los Libertadores Path despite the road on the Argentine side being clear all the way to the Cristo Redentor tunnel.

But the border shall remain closed for at least seven more days due to heavy snowfalls and rains.

“The weather conditions in high mountains and the damages caused on the road due to the strong storm caused more than 2,000 trucks to be stranded waiting for the opening of the Cristo Redentor Path,” the Argentine Federation of Freight Transportation Business Entities (Fadeeac) and the Truck Owners Association of the Argentine province of Mendoza (Aprocam) said in a statement.

The carriers pointed out that the problem is not only limited to weather conditions but that the heavy rainstorm caused structural damage to the roads in that area, with both landslides and cracks. Hence, the need for repair works to restore traffic.

In this scenario, Aprocam requested all road cargo transport companies to keep their trucks at their bases, or in areas enabled by Customs, or stop at the side of the road.

“In situations such as the one that is happening, it is very important to guarantee the safety and security of both drivers and cargo,” the statement said.

The entities warned that the Argentine-Chilean border Pehuenche crossing is also unusable after the road was destroyed by the flooding. “Due to its current condition, the Pehuenche is not a viable option,” they said.

Chile's Provincial Presidential Delegation of Los Andes said in a statement late Monday that the Los Libertadores Path will continue to be closed for at least a week “while the security conditions for a safe transit along the road for the users are generated” because for now “it was determined that the road is not safe and is not in a condition to be used.”