U.S. Climber Dies in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES – A U.S. climber died after reaching the summit of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, when he was overtaken by a snowstorm after going astray on the descent, police said Tuesday. The remains of Michel Miniesil were taken to the base camp at Aconcagua, in the western Argentine province of Mendoza.
The 39-year-old climber had failed twice in attaining the mountain’s summit, which rises 6,962 meters (22,630 feet) above sea level, but six days ago he made it to the top on his third attempt to scale the so-called North route, one of the most accessible.
“He was found about midday yesterday (Monday) but the police rescue patrol could not bring the body down because of a heavy storm with white snow that has been occurring in the highest area of Aconcagua,” police spokesman Juan Caleri said.
“He got lost on the return trip and, being disoriented, he came down via the Polacos glacier, where he died,” Caleri said. Miniesil, born in Thailand and a nationalized U.S. citizen, is the first person to die on Aconcagua during this climbing season, which began in mid-November and will end on March 15.
Last week, nine climbers were evacuated from the mountain’s base camp, called the Plaza de Mulas, due to different physical problems, spokesmen for the rescue teams reported. Last season, an Argentine guide, an Italian climber, a U.S. climber and a Briton died on the mountain in accidents and in snowstorms.
About 7,000 climbers each year try to scale the peak of the so-called “roof of the Americas.” Aconcagua is located in the Andes near the border between Argentina and Chile. EFE
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