The search for three missing climbers in Peru faces major logistical challenges because the country does not have helicopters capable of landing above 19,700 feet, requiring specialized high-altitude rescue teams to conduct the operation entirely on foot. Photo by Daiji Umemoto/Pexels
Extreme weather and a shortage of specialized high-altitude rescue personnel are hampering the search for three Peruvian climbers who remain missing after an expedition on Mount Huascarán, Peru’s highest peak, in the Áncash region.
According to Peru’s Regional Emergency Operations Center, search efforts are focused at elevations between about 19,700 and 21,650 feet above sea level on Huascarán’s eastern face toward Mount Chopicalqui, the third-highest peak in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range.
Beto Pinto, president of the Peruvian Mountain Guides Association, told Perú21 that climbers Alejandro Ugarte, Saúl Mendoza and Artidoro Salas Gaytán are believed to be at an altitude of about 21,000 feet, based on the last coordinates automatically transmitted by the GPS watch worn by Ugarte before the signal was lost.
Pinto said the group’s last communication came Tuesday, when they sent a WhatsApp message reporting they had become lost during a severe storm.
According to information provided by Valeria Chávez to Infobae Perú, the three Peruvians were part of a five-member expedition that included two more experienced foreign climbers. The group began its ascent during the mountain climbing season, Infobae Perú reported.
During the descent, the two foreign climbers moved ahead more quickly, leaving the three Peruvians behind in an area known as La Garganta.
Peruvian authorities said more than 30 specialists, including members of the Peruvian National Police High Mountain Rescue Unit and volunteer mountain guides, are participating in the search. Rescue operations have been severely hampered by dense fog, hail and poor visibility.
Two National Police helicopters were deployed to transport rescue teams from the High Mountain base in Caraz to the Huascarán Refuge, located at about 13,100 feet above sea level, Canal N reported.
Pinto said the search faces major logistical challenges because Peru does not have helicopters capable of landing above 19,700 feet, requiring specialized high-altitude rescue teams to conduct the operation entirely on foot.
Pinto also called for the deployment of additional highly specialized personnel to support the search operation.
