A coronavirus outbreak with 36 positive tests was reported on Monday at a Chilean Army base in Antarctica, the only continent, up to now, free of the virus. The army's Monday release said that at the Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme base, following suspicions, swabbing testing was practiced in all personnel resulting in 36 positive cases, of which 26 belonging to the Army and ten to members of a contractor, doing maintenance work at the base.
Chilean Air Force (FACh) Chief-of-Staff General Arturo Merino Núñez Thursday ruled out the possibility of finding any survivors from Monday's Hercules C-130 transport aircraft which crashed into the Drake Passage enroute to Antarctica with 38 people onboard after human parts from the wreckage were found later in the week.
An estimated 250 scientists from several countries will be working at Chile’s Antarctic bases during the austral summer (December 21/March 21) in different projects such as global warming and climate change, reported the Chilean Antarctic Institute, INACH, based in Punta Arenas.