A survivor of the blizzard that killed British woman Victoria Bond and four others in Chilean Patagonia has said that tourists were concerned about adverse weather conditions but were told by staff it was “normal” and they could proceed. Tom Player, a London-based composer, told the Guardian that during the brutal blizzard about 30 volunteers worked together to try to rescue hikers.
Nine people went missing on Monday in the Torres del Paine reserve amid heavy snowfall and winds reaching up to 120mph. Four were rescued, but it was confirmed on Tuesday that two Mexicans, two Germans and Bond, 40, from Truro, had died. Player, who travelled to Chile with four friends including Bond, said there were no park rangers present on the day, adding: “We showed a screenshot of the weather forecast to staff at the camp and they said it was normal. We took that advice onboard.”
Player criticised the decision to allow the trek, saying: “There is absolutely no way anyone should have been allowed. It was too risky for the mountain rescue teams so why was it open to the public?” He also disputed claims by Chilean authorities that the tourists became lost, stating: “Claiming that anyone got lost, four out of the five people were on the trail. We have GPS data to back it all up.”
Player described the storm as “absolutely brutal”, with cold temperatures, downpours, sleet and snow. He said the group was unprepared for blizzard-like conditions, lacking equipment such as spikes, rope and snow goggles. During the rescue effort, Player said he came across other hikers, including Cristina Calvillo Tovar, who was hypothermic, and Julian Garcia Pimentel, who was dead. He also found one of the German women, who was deeply hypothermic, and wrapped his sleeping bag around her.
Player added: “I went up there looking for my friend and I didn’t find her, it is very hard to live with that.” Bond, a PR manager for the Visit Isles of Scilly tourism organisation, was described as a “lovable, witty and creative” person by colleagues. Mauricio Ruiz, regional director of Conaf, which employs the park’s rangers, told local media that no rangers were on duty on the night of the 16th because of mandatory voting in Chile’s presidential election.
