Overview
- Regional officials confirmed the dead as two Mexican nationals, two German nationals and one British national after a whiteout blizzard hit the park.
- The group became lost near Los Perros and the John Gardner Pass on the O Circuit, a remote sector reached only by a four- to five-hour trek from vehicle access.
- Rescue teams of rangers, police, soldiers and mountain specialists reached the area on foot as 120 mph winds grounded helicopters; plans call for Chilean Air Force recovery flights when conditions allow.
- Four people previously reported missing were found alive, and authorities have closed the search phase while coordinating consular procedures and repatriation.
- Chile’s prosecutor has opened an investigation, and an SOS posted to a Torres del Paine Facebook group helped trigger the multi-agency response; UK media have named the British victim as Victoria Bond, with official confirmation pending.