Bad weather hampers efforts to rescue Spanish mountain climbers in Patagonia

SANTIAGO.- Bad weather continues to prevent to rescue of three Spanish mountaineers that remain stranded in the Mount San Valentín sector of the Chilean Patagonia, where they arrived on December 11th of this month.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Marcel Prada of the IV Chilean Army Division, the meteorological conditions have made it impossible to fly a helicopter in the area.

The official stated that the temperature has fallen below 0 degrees Celsius, with low clouds and winds blowing at 10 knots (some 30 kilometers per hour).

"The three of them got through the night in good condition, one of them was having symptoms of hypothermia but got better", added the lieutenant, who had spoken with Juan Diego Amador, the most experienced of the three climbers.

Mount San Valentín, the highest peak in the Chilean Patagonia, is located in the Northern Ice Fields area. The climbers had planned to reach the summit of the mountain, which is at about 4,100 meters above sea level.

Lieutenant Colonel Prada has indicated that the climbers have enough food for three days and explained that they have received instructions that will ration out the supply for six days as a precautionary measure.