Mountaineers missing after avalanche sweeps them into crevice

Two Basque mountaineers have been missing since Thursday in Patagonia on the border of Argentina and Chile.

Lugares de Nieve reported on Saturday, January 21 that a rescue operation has yet to get underway due to weather conditions in the area.

Authorities say with each passing hour the chance of finding them alive reduces with the pair some 3,405 metres above sea level where conditions are said to be very dangerous.

The pair, Iker Bilbao (29 years old, native of Durango) and Amaia Agirre (31 years old, from Urnieta) were believed to be descending. But minutes after arriving at the base of Fitz Roy an avalanche of snow buried them before dragging them to the bottom of a crevice.

Amaia Agirre urnietatarra eta Iker Bilbao durangotarra euskal mendizaleak desagertutak jarraitzen dutenean Fitz Roy-en, nire elkartasun osoa familia eta lagunei. pic.twitter.com/cfu6YknPWA

— José Ignacio Asensio (@asensioji) January 21, 2023

The peak is understood not to be particularly high but conditions are “extremely difficult” because of the ice.

A third mountaineer Josu Linaza, 31 years old and from Igorre, raised the alarm after managing to save himself.

MALAS NOTICIAS PARA EL ALPINISMO VASCO DESDE LA PATAGONIA
Una avalancha de fusión -muy pesada- provocada por las altas temperaturas en la zona, habría alcanzado a Amaia Agirre e Iker Bilbao en la base de la ruta Franco-Agentina al Fitz Roy. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/3pgAQmwq4Q

— Hermanos Pou (@hermanospou) January 21, 2023

Sources within the Presidency of the Basque Government said that the Argentine rescue services had advised that abnormally high temperatures made conditions difficult for rescuers. The high temperatures they say could cause new avalanches at any time and put the lives of the rescue teams at risk.

Families and friends of the mountaineers missing are hopeful that they will have survived the avalanche and can still be rescued.

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