MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Five foreign tourists confirmed dead in Chilean national park

The Chilean Air Force (FACh) successfully retrieved the bodies once the weather permitted it

The death toll has risen to five on Wednesday following a tragic incident involving foreign tourists on the challenging “O” circuit in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. Authorities launched a major operation to locate several tourists who went missing while hiking the strenuous route, known for its intense weather variability.

The victims were of Mexican nationality (2), German (2), and British (1). Initial reports had also mentioned one Mexican citizen, one Korean tourist with severe hypothermia, and a missing British woman.

The hikers were on the Dickson Camp – Paso Camp stretch of the “O” circuit, considered the most demanding trek in the park, which typically takes 8 to 10 days to complete.

The drastic change in weather conditions is considered the key factor as extreme conditions surged unexpectedly, including winds up to 190 km/h and intense snowfall, which severely compromised the group's safety.

The tourists were reportedly performing the route without a professional guide, relying on their own experience.

“The information provided by [the National Forestry Corporation] CONAF is that these five deceased people have been found, and all the rest who have entered the Paine massif in recent days have been accounted for,” Chile's Presidential Delegate for the Magallanes and Antarctica region José Antonio Ruiz told reporters.

Authorities evacuated the bodies of the five foreign travelers, a tragedy which has led to severe criticism from tourism groups and survivors. The extraction was carried out during one of the “good weather windows” amid poor meteorological conditions for the Chilean Air Force (FACh) to operate between the Los Perros sector and the John Gardner Pass on the Paine Massif circuit. Ruiz underlined that the evacuation needed to be safe and was highly dependent on favorable weather, which has been challenging in previous days.

The FACh was summoned to perform the rescue operations once the weather permitted the Bell-412 helicopter from the 4th Air Brigade to perform it safely and successfully after Carabineros personnel guarded the bodies.

Regional National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) Director Juan Carlos Andrade noted that gathering the bodies alone was “quite hazardous” due to the rugged terrain, complex access, and difficult conditions.