Avalanche
An avalanche struck Cerro López mountain near Bariloche, Argentina, on Wednesday afternoon, killing a British woman and burying one person while leaving another missing, reports La Nacion. The incident occurred during a cross-country skiing expedition in the popular Nahuel Huapi National Park.
- Related: The Science Behind Avalanches
Emergency services rushed to the scene after the avalanche was reported at 5:40 p.m. local time. Rescue efforts involved multiple agencies, including 28 Club Andino Bariloche’s Rescue Committee members, local fire departments, National Parks personnel, the Army, and Gendarmerie.
🏔️🚨❄️ AVALANCHA CERRO LÓPEZ
En el mapa se detalla la zona de la avalancha, hacia la izquierda del Refugio
Ubicación 1…Posted by informeblanco on Thursday 5 September 2024
The body of the woman was recovered late Wednesday night and transferred to the Bariloche morgue. Authorities have since identified her as Andrea Marshall from Scotland. Rescuers found a man from Bariloche alive but suffering from hypothermia after he had been buried for a significant length of time, and they took him to a local hospital for treatment. The search for the third person, reportedly from Córdoba, was suspended at 11 p.m. due to dangerous conditions.
View this post on Instagram
In a remarkable turn of events, the third person, previously thought missing, managed to survive the avalanche and call for help, reports El Cordillerano. Carlos Madjinca, director of Citizen Protection, reported, “Around 3:30 in the morning, the individual, having freed himself from the snow, made a surprising call to 911. We immediately notified the CAX (Club Andino Bariloche Aid Commission).” Madjinca expressed astonishment at this outcome, stating, “It’s highly unusual for someone to not only survive an avalanche but also to retrieve their phone and successfully communicate with emergency services.”
Martín Raffo, a Club Andino Bariloche Aid Commission member, stated that the main hypothesis is that the skiers may have triggered the avalanche on the steep, high-risk slopes. The Avalanche Information Center had issued a grade 3 danger warning for the area, indicating high risk due to recent heavy snowfall and unstable conditions.
The 6,808-foot (2,075-meter) Cerro López mountain is part of the popular Circuito Chico and experienced a similar avalanche on August 26. Local authorities recommended caution, particularly on steep slopes greater than 35 degrees.
Authorities urge visitors to exercise extreme caution in the region, emphasizing the ongoing danger of avalanches.
