The National Gendarmerie (GNA) and the Mountain Rescue and Assistance Patrol Unit (UPRAM) mounted an operation in the high mountain area of Mendoza to rescue three families who had been stranded in Penitentes. Prior to this, the team rescued a mountaineer who had been lost in the middle of the storm.
During the day on Friday, the authorities were alerted by the disappearance of a climber who had gotten lost in the vicinity of the ski complex. Although the National Meteorological Service (SMN) had activated a yellow alert for snowfall, the man risked practicing the activity in the snow.
For this reason, a group of agents from the specialized unit of the Mendoza Police and the gendarmes began the search protocol. In this way, the climber was located about 3 kilometers away from Penitentes around 7 p.m. and, fortunately, he was safe and sound.
However, the operation had to take another direction after they learned that three families were stranded due to the storm. According to the information provided by MDZ, in total, the rescued people were nine adults and three minors who were staying in mobile homes.
“Everyone is in good health,” the authorities reported, noting that the rest of the guests at the Penitentes hotel and the surrounding area were also evacuated due to the possibility that the situation could be complicated by snowfall. “The order is to remove everyone from Penitentes and surrounding areas to avoid any type of greater evil. The storm will continue tonight and is expected to last until the early hours of the morning,” they added.
According to the SMN forecast, the alert was active until 11:54 p.m. on Friday, June 14, because weather conditions are expected to begin to slowly improve. Although temperatures will continue to be low, cloudy skies will predominate throughout the week.
For this Saturday, thermal values will begin to grow from 0 degrees to reach a maximum of 9 degrees. In the same way, experts indicated that on Sunday the thermometer will have a slight rise, since the maximum would be 12 degrees. On both days there will be winds coming from the south, especially from the Chilean border.
Throughout the week, weather conditions affected the border crossings, because the Cristo Redentor International Crossing had to be closed. In fact, national and Chilean authorities announced that the crossing will remain closed for the passage of all types of vehicles this Saturday.
Through an official statement, the general coordinator of the Cristo Redentor International Crossing System (PISCR), Justo José Bascolo, assured that Road Traffic personnel in both countries began a clearance operation on routes 7 (Argentine side) and 60 (Argentine side). Chilean), so that these can be traveled again as soon as possible.
“Tomorrow, progress will be evaluated to have a clearer picture regarding the passability of the international corridor,” said the director about the monitoring activities that began on Friday. According to the latest updates in the area, the accumulation of snow would be between 30 and 50 centimeters. However, it is stipulated that in some areas the height could be higher.
According to the information published by Diario El Sol, the authorities recommended that citizens avoid traveling on provincial routes and, if they have to do so, that they take all the necessary precautions to avoid accidents. In fact, they asked to take into account that last Thursday a National Gendarmerie vehicle overturned while transporting eleven people.
