The three missing Peruvian mountaineers in the snowy Huascarán have been located in two crevasses over 100 meters deep at an altitude of 6,400 meters. However, no rescue team has been able to access the area.
The teams from the Peruvian Mountain Guides Association (AGMP) managed to locate Alejandro Ugarte, Freddy Mendoza, and Artidoro Salas in two crevasses of the glacier, at 6,400 meters above sea level. The three have been missing for four days after losing contact on Tuesday, July 14.
Location found after an intense search with drones
The president of the AGMP, Beto Pinto Toledo, explained that the volunteer guides worked during the night of Friday and the early hours of Saturday at an altitude of 5,500 meters. Using a specialized drone, they grid the terrain and cross-referenced the information with voice messages sent by one of the mountaineers before losing contact.
“We have triangulated the entire area and in that triangulation we can already see that they are at 6,400 meters,” Pinto stated. They identified two critical points: a large crevasse (point A) and a second with a tubular slope (point B), where Ugarte's Garmin watch signal stopped. “At that altitude, these crevasses exceed 100 meters in depth,” he specified.
Allegations of abandonment by the National Police
The voluntary rescue faced a serious lack of coordination. On Friday, nine rescuers agreed with the National Police of Peru (PNP) to be picked up by helicopter at 5:30 AM at 4,600 meters. The police changed the landing point to 4,300 meters, and the rescuers ran that stretch in 25 minutes to arrive on time. However, the helicopter appeared, circled twice, and left without picking them up. No one answered the calls.
“It is not possible for them to send their helicopters and then practically create disorder. There is no incident command, no base camp, absolutely nothing,” denounced Pinto Toledo. The leader arrived in Huaraz after walking more than 12 hours from the mountain, after not being picked up by the police helicopter.
The last communication and the families' desperation
The last signal from the mountaineers was on Tuesday, July 14 at 9:00 AM, when Ugarte sent a WhatsApp message to his partner informing that the group had gotten lost after a severe storm during the descent. He requested the dispatch of drones and helicopters. Since then, total silence.
The coordinates from the Garmin watch place them in La Garganta, at about 6,300 meters, an area of deep crevasses, frequent avalanches, and extreme winds. All three are experienced: Ugarte, 38, is a professional photographer; Mendoza, 36, and Salas, 42, have recognized experience in high-altitude climbs in Huaraz.
Pinto Toledo called for a technical meeting with private rescuers to try to organize a rescue, but the weather conditions and extreme altitude complicate any operation. Meanwhile, the families await news in a climate of growing anguish.
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