Chile, Argentina – 400 people stranded after a snowstorm in the Andes

On the Argentine side of the border, the police and the army rescued 120 people early in the morning. 200 people are still stuck there. Police said more than 200 people in Chile were unable to continue their journey because of the snowstorm.

The storm started on Saturday after a sudden shift in the winds. Snow fell on hundreds of vehicles on a road linking Argentina and Chile at the foot of the Andes at an altitude of 3,000 metres. “There were cars that could not continue their journey because of the fog and could not even open the doors to get out,” Hector Tello, an official with the municipality of Las Heras, told C5N.

The authorities closed the Los Libertadores border crossing. “There are temperatures of minus 10 degrees Celsius and snow accumulation of more than one meter on the roads,” Tello added. Accordingly, the border police are providing those affected with warm water and food.

According to officials, the rescue work could be completed by Monday. However, the weather conditions are “still bad”. Las Heras is located in the province of Mendoza, about 1,200 kilometers west of Buenos Aires. The cold spell prevailing there is somewhat unusual despite the winter.