Peruvian rescue teams have recovered the bodies of a Canadian woman, Sandra Covone, and her Mexican husband, Daniel Navarro, after they were engulfed in an avalanche on the summit of a 6,000-metre mountain in the Andes. The avalanche occurred on Tocllaraju, a 6,034-metre peak in the Cordillera Blanca mountains near Huaraz, Peru, at dawn on Wednesday, June 17.
Rescue Operation and Recovery
Three rescue teams were organized to carry out the search and rescue operation. Covone's body was found on Thursday, while Navarro's was recovered on Friday. The Peruvian Mountain Guides Association said Navarro's remains were located approximately 5,500 metres above sea level, in a difficult-to-access area. The bodies were taken to the morgue in the city of Huaraz for subsequent repatriation.
Guide Survives and Raises Alarm
The avalanche also buried their guide, Floriano Caldua, but he managed to survive and raised the alarm via satellite phone. He was later rescued in stable condition by a mountain rescue team. The search for Navarro's remains was temporarily suspended due to weather conditions before being completed.
Couple's Climbing Experience
The married couple were accustomed to mountain ascents, according to comments from the Peruvian Mountain Guides Association to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo. News aggregator site GN Youth News reported the couple was in Peru for an acclimatization route in the region. They posted updates from their climbs of Nevado Mateo on June 7 and Nevado Vallunaraju on June 9 as part of their training.
Official Statements
“The bodies of Canadian Sandra Covone and Mexican Daniel Navarro, who were found in the area of the landslide, have been recovered and taken to the city of Huaraz,” Peruvian police said in a statement to Univision, an American Spanish-language news site. National Post has reached out to Global Affairs for confirmation and further details.
