Dozens of trucks, buses and private cars, with about 400 occupants, were stranded on the international route that connects Argentina with Chile through Mendoza, after an intense storm of snow and white wind that was recorded on both sides of the Andes mountain range and which caused the closure of the Cristo Redentor international pass yesterday at noon.
“We estimate that there are more than 400 people left to evacuate“, said this in dialogue with channel 9 Mendoza andhe Undersecretary for Institutional Relations of the Provincial Ministry of Security, Néstor Majul.
A crisis committee made up of different agencies together with the rescue patrol is working to evacuate the stranded people and clear the international route.
Since 1 pm this Saturday, the Cristo Redentor international pass was closed due to adverse weather conditions, causing dozens of trucks, buses and cars to be stranded in the high mountains in extreme weather situations.
The rescue operation was complicated because two cargo trucks brushed against each other and were crossed in the form of scissors, cutting off the path at the height of the La Soberanía curve, between the towns of Uspallata and Las Cuevas, indicated sources from National Roads. whose operators continue to work on clearing the route.
Testimonies of people stranded on the route revealed a very complicated situation, with people exposed to extremely low temperatures and with a lack of provisions.
Meanwhile, according to official sources, the Gendarmerie and the Army have assisted the people who were stranded on the route.
During the night, 117 people were rescued and personnel from the High Mountain Rescue Patrol inspected more than 100 vehicles, verifying the condition of their occupants, the crisis committee reported.
They added that people are being evacuated to the Puente de Inca Hunters Company and to the Uspallata Hospital.
Meanwhile, National Roads continues with the work of cleaning the road and seeks to remove five other trucks that also obstructed the road.
“The problem with the clearance is not just the snow and the storm, but also the difficulty in moving the trucks,” explained Daniel Burrieza, of Civil Defense.
In Chile, the situation is also complicated with hundreds of vehicles that were stranded at the Los Libertadores border crossing due to the storm.
