An American climber died this Saturday while trying to climb Aconcagua,
when he broke down on the way to the top in what was the second fatality this weekend on the Mendoza mountain.
This is
John Michael Magness (58), who had traveled to the country to climb the highest mountain in South America.
As confirmed by the local police, he was in the Independencia camp, located at 6,300 meters above sea level.
According to the officers' account, the mountaineer began to be assisted at the refuge for a series of health problems.
After some time,
the guide began to give him oxygen
and they transferred him to the Condors nest camp, located 5,500 meters above sea level.
But the attempts to stabilize him did not prosper and the American
died around 2 in the morning on Sunday.
As confirmed by the newspaper Los Andes, the Rescue patrol moved the body to Nido de Cóndores and on Sunday morning a helicopter would take the remains to Horcones.
The case was left in the hands of Assistant Prosecutor Barbosa and the Scientific Police and the Tourist Police worked on the spot.
Marcos Páez, head of the Rescue Patrol, told TN that it is a situation that is repeated.
"Many times high-altitude patrols are carried out and
people who are very tired are made to give up
and come down to avoid this," he clarified.
He also added that there is a medical service in the park since it has two posts and the last one is 4,300 meters above sea level.
It is that the North American is the second case of a dead climber in his ascent to Aconcagua in the last hours.
On Saturday, Moi Oystein (62), died
while trying to reach the summit of Aconcagua with other colleagues.
He suffered a decompensation near 6,500 meters, in the La Cueva sector.
From the first tests it emerged that Oystein was making the way to the summit together with the group he was in when he began to feel bad and decompensated to the surprise of those present.
The guide accompanying the group assisted him and began Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) with the aim of compensating him, but despite the effort,
the man died on the spot.
A call to the emergency line alerted the authorities and park ranger personnel to organize the rescue of the body.
The rescue team, after a few hours of ascent, reached where the body was located and then began the descent.
Aconcagua is the highest peak in the western hemisphere at 6,962 meters and this season is the season for ascents.
Just a few days ago,
two other foreign climbers had to be rescued
by patrol personnel when they were also trying to reach the summit.
One of them, 50 years old, from the United States,
had symptoms of cerebral edema
and was lowered with the assistance of an oxygen tube.
The other, residing in Germany, suffered frostbite in the fingers of his hands, which were completely blue.
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