found healthy and sounds, the two men were transferred to an intermediate base camp.
Le Monde with AFP
A team of Argentine rescuers sought them from Sunday. Two French mountaineers, in difficulty in the Andean Ojos del Salado volcano sector, which culminates at 6,891 m altitude, have been found healthy and sound, announced the local authorities Tuesday, December 27th.
The mountaineers, who had undertaken the rise of this popular summit, considered the highest volcano of the world, from the city of Fambala (1,357 km northwest of Buenos Aires), had sent a signal Distress satellite this weekend in difficult weather conditions. A high mountain rescuer team started on Sunday afternoon.
The two French people were discovered Monday at about 5,600 m altitude, a little higher than the temporary camp that the rescue team had to install for the night on Sunday, before the recovery of research at the first hours Monday.
The two mountaineers present “health problems [dehydration] with the difficult context to which they had to face, but without major risks for their integrity,” said the Ministry of Security of the province of Catamarca on his facebook account. They were transferred to an intermediate base camp in Cortaderas (about 3,300 m altitude) and had to arrive at night in Fambala (1,500 m) where “they will receive all the necessary attention,” according to the provincial ministry and Civil defense.
Climatic conditions “difficult”
The research had committed Sunday on the background “difficult climatic conditions, with heavy rains and falls in high mountains”, according to the police in the province of Catamarca (Northwest).
The rescuers had established that the French group was initially constituted by three men, one of whom had turned around for acclimation problems at altitude, while the other two pursued the climb. The climbing closer was “healthy”, according to the provincial police.
According to local media, French mountaineers had arrived last week in Fambala.
They had to undertake the rise of the snowy peak of the Ojos de Salado, at the border of Chile and Argentina, by the so-called Quebrada route, at 3,400 m above sea level, which requires At least ten days of hiking.