Argentine rescue services worked 16 hours straight to recover the bodies of two people who were found dead at the Vinciguerra glacier in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego province.

Identified as local guide Emiliano Feidas and Abril Melina Marino Pereira, a 25-year-old Uruguayan tourist, the provincial government confirmed their passing on Tuesday. 

The two were trekking along a challenging trail, one of the busiest in northern Ushuaia, and were reported missing on Monday after Feidas’s family alerted authorities that the two had not returned to base at the scheduled time.

The search crew found them on Monday night, but adverse weather conditions and reduced visibility made the recovery trip extremely difficult.

The situation triggered the activation of an emergency protocol, leading to the intervention of the Ushuaia Rescue Commission — a recovery crew comprising Civil Defense, the Gendarmerie, the Ushuaia Andean Club, the Fire Department, the Tierra del Fuego Police, and other agencies. 

The recovery

The team began the search by ascending the glacier under reduced visibility and low temperatures. 

According to national outlet La Nacion, the complex land and air operations involved 40 people at the scene and 16 hours of nonstop work amid difficult terrain, harsh cold, poor visibility, and unstable sections.

Around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, the rescue team was able to reach the two bodies at the lower part of the glacier. Early theories suggest that the two victims, who were roped together as a safety measure, likely fell off in an area with a steep slope and technical difficulty, although the investigation is still ongoing.

The teams worked on the mountain to take the bodies to a safe spot where the helicopter could take them. This was only possible at around 2 p.m on Tuesday, when the climate conditions allowed it. A helicopter was deployed to complete the evacuation from an accessible area, allowing the bodies to be transported to the city.

“We flew in the mountains with very bad weather conditions, a north current, and crosswinds,” Roberto Valdés, a pilot and partner at a local aviation company, said to La Nación . “We’ve got to acknowledge the work of the Rescue Commission: they worked long hours in the mountains to recover the bodies, all night long.”