- Do YOU know anyone affected by the blizzard? Email perkin.amalaraj@dailymail.co.uk
A Briton is among the five people who died in a nature reserve in Patagonia after a blizzard engulfed them.
The visitors to Torres del Paine nature reserve, Chile’s most visited foreign tourist spot, were caught off guard Monday while exploring the Patagonian park famed for its granite peaks, glaciers and wildlife, which is 1,740 miles south of Chile’s capital Santiago.
Local media reported that that much of the country currently is facing heavy snow, wind and rain.
Initially reporting two dead and seven missing, regional government official Jose Antonio Ruiz updated the toll to five later in the day, made up of one Brit, two Mexicans and two Germans.
Four people were rescued alive, but Ruiz did not specify their nationalities or their health status.
Ruiz added: ‘Talks have already begun with the relevant consuls regarding the repatriation of bodies. The Prosecutor’s Office has also authorised the movement of bodies, so we are now entering a phase of evacuation, prioritising air transport’.
Soldiers and police joined the search effort in the park designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1978.
Authorities also closed off the zone during the search. As many as 24 were involved in the search.
The five dead were visiting the Patagonian Torres del Paine nature reserve, Chile’s most visited foreign tourist spot (File image)
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.’
An FCDO spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘We are in contact with the local authorities following an incident in Chile.’
