The extra long weekend for the June 20 holiday began with complications in the south of the country. The snow storm announced by the National Meteorological Service generated serious inconveniences on routes and airports in the provinces of Argentine Patagonia.
This Thursday, in different parts of the province of Chubut, the snow storm caused dozens of people to be stranded on Route No. 3. The Argentine Army had to mount a rescue and assistance operation with emergency units.
According to local media, there were at least 20 trucks, more than a dozen cars and a bus with passengers stranded for more than 24 hours. The situation is worsened by fuel shortages. A patrol car was even trapped with a detainee and a woman had to be urgently assisted.
The operation covered from national route 3 working from south to north to adjacent provinces, mobilized the Comodoro Rivadavia army garrison and the Sarmiento army garrison, while prominent units such as the 25th Mechanized Infantry Regiment and the 9th Mechanized Intelligence Company, among others were deployed in the most critical areas.
At noon, Route 3 between Comodoro Rivadavia and Trelew was still closed and the rescuers planned to enable a caravan of vehicles led by a bus with 15 passengers, at the height of the Ferrays canyon.
On Wednesday night, the machines began to gradually make way on the snow-covered route to allow reinforcements to arrive with food, fuel and health care in the conflict zone. The conflict had originated on Tuesday afternoon due to the mistake of a truck that blocked the passage for about 15 kilometers north of Comodoro Rivadavia, as a result of heavy snowfall.
The snow storm also caused accidents at airports. This Thursday, a Flybondi airline flight got lost while landing at the San Carlos de Bariloche airport, in the middle of the storm.
Around 8:50 a.m., the front wheels of the Boeing 737 that covered the route from the Buenos Aires City Airport to the mountain city under the name FO5240 left the cement and touched the ground, causing the aircraft to become impassable.
The Teniente Luis Candelaria international station was out of service for two hours, until they could remove the device. Several flights had to be diverted to the Presidente Perón airport in Neuquén capital.
The incident, which the Transportation Safety Board investigating it described as “serious,” occurred during the turning maneuver at the runway head to resume filming.
Although the causes of the accident were not proven, which left no injuries or material damage, one hypothesis refers to the contamination of the runway due to the accumulation of ice and snow combined with low visibility.
