Missing after avalanche

TWO Basque mountaineers have been missing since Thursday in Patagonia on the border of Argentina and Chile.

A local news source reported on Saturday, January 21 that a rescue operation had yet to get underway due to weather conditions in the area.

Authorities said with each passing hour the chance of finding them alive reduces with the pair some 3,405 metres above sea level where conditions are said to be very dangerous.

The pair, Iker Bilbao (29) and Amaia Agirre (31) were believed to be descending. But minutes after arriving at the base of Fitz Roy an avalanche of snow buried them before dragging them to the bottom of a crevice.

The peak is understood not to be particularly high but conditions are ‘extremely difficult’ because of the ice.

A third mountaineer Josu Linaza, (31), raised the alarm after managing to save himself.

Families and friends of the mountaineers missing are hopeful that they will have survived the avalanche and can still be rescued.

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