Rescue teams found the lifeless bodies of five missing tourists in a heavy snow storm Torres del Paine National Parkin the southern region of Chilean Patagonia.
The mayor of Torres del Paine, Anahi Cárdenas, reported that five people died, including two Mexicans, two Germans and a Briton, while a search is underway for more missing tourists.
Guillermo Ruiz, presidential delegate of the Chilean province of Última Esperanza, stated that tourists got lost near Los Perros camp of the national park, an area that can only be accessed after a four to five hour walk from the nearest point accessible by vehicle.
Ruiz affirmed that the Government was coordinating with military institutions, which sent brigades to the region to collaborate in the search.
The area was hit by a snow storm that caused zero visibility conditions with winds that exceeded 193 km/h (120 mph), equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.
The Torres del Paine National Park is located in the Magallanes Region and the Chilean Antarctic, covering about 1,810 square kilometers between the Andes Mountains and the Patagonian steppe.
This protected area, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978, receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.