Argentines Save 300, Evacuate 50 From Fierce Storm in Patagonia
Authorities early Monday rescued 300 travelers and evacuated 50 villagers stranded near this southern Patagonian city by a fierce, four-day Antarctic storm. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Weather forecasters said that a winter storm has dumped 24 inches of rain and snow since Thursday on this remote southernmost Argentine region, about 1,000 miles south of Buenos Aires, and that the bad weather is continuing.
Civil defense authorities say the storm forced evacuation of at least 50 residents from Maximo Abasolo village near Comodoro Rivadavia. It trapped 100 buses, trucks and cars along an ice-coated local highway.
The airport that serves this oil-producing city of 100,000 was also closed Monday by poor weather, the police reported.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
