We had to help ourselves, snowstorm survivor says

Survivors of a snowstorm in Patagonia that killed five people, including a British woman, said local authorities did not provide enough help.

Victoria Bond, 40, from Cornwall, was among them. killed in a tourist hotspot in Torres del Paine National Park. in Chile.

Christian Aldridge, who was part of the tour group, said they had to organize their own rescue party to search the mountain and find their friend.

Chile's National Forestry Corporation said it had ordered an internal investigation “to determine any potential liability.” The BBC has approached Chilean authorities for further comment.

With Miss Bond PR consultant who worked for Visit Isles of Scilly.Chilean officials said two German citizens and two Mexican citizens died during the snowstorm.

Their bodies were found on Tuesday.

Mr Aldridge, from Newquay, said conditions during the storm were “really harsh and freezing”.

According to him, the group he was part of tried to continue moving, but no one came to their aid.

“I was shocked,” he said.

“I went and spoke to the staff personally and said, 'We're missing a friend, we think she's still on the mountain, you need to call a search party.'

Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font said search and rescue teams were working in conditions of “heavy” snowfall and winds reaching 118 mph (190 kph), while the Chilean forestry corporation said its priority was relocating people who were on the park's “O” hiking trail.

However, Mr Aldridge said park staff “didn't seem to take it seriously”.

“They pulled us aside and told us they needed to check in new guests and prepare dinner,” he said.

Mr Aldridge said the group had to leave the park within three days despite their injuries.

“We are sleep deprived, shocked, traumatized and grieving,” he said.

“We were like, ‘Why aren’t we getting help? Why aren’t we evacuated from here?”

Jack Gunther and Sophie Collier, a London couple caught in the snowstorm, said their interactions with park officials were “absolutely terrifying”.

Ms Collier, originally from Devon, said people were paying a lot of money for the trip and tickets to the park were “more complicated than tickets to Glastonbury”.

” [Chilean] The government knows people are willing to pay money, but they don't do anything or invest in the route or people's safety,” she said.

The Chilean Forestry Corporation said it “deeply regrets the incident and expresses its solidarity to the families of the victims.”

It said it was reviewing “security and communications protocols within the park with concessionaires to strengthen emergency prevention and response capabilities.”

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