Mendoza starts operation to free 1,500 trucks stranded by snow‑blocked Cristo Redentor

Intense snowfalls in the Andes have kept the Cristo Redentor (Los Liberadores) international pass closed since 18 July, blocking Route 7 and halting traffic between Argentina and Chile. More than 1,500 heavy‑load trucks are stranded: about 580 are parked in the high‑mountain sector (Uspallata, the Integrated Control Area and service stations), roughly 70 at the Red Mercosur complex, and around 900 in parking areas between Eloy Guerrero and La Paz.

The Mendoza provincial government activated a special contingency protocol for interruptions exceeding 72 hours. The plan creates staged release zones (“pulmones”) at the Luján de Cuyo refinery access and at the junction with Provincial Route 84, allowing 500‑600 trucks per day under winter operating hours. Authorities estimate five to six days will be needed to clear the backlog once conditions improve, with forecasts of further snow through early August.

Rescue crews have evacuated more than 100 people from isolated mountain villages such as Puente del Inca and Las Cuevas, delivering food, water and medical aid. Emergency teams continue to clear snow, ice and rockfalls to reopen the corridor for both commercial traffic and tourism.

The closure impacts bilateral trade, as the Cristo Redentor corridor handles roughly 360 000 trucks annually, about a thousand per day. The prolonged shutdown threatens supply chains, increases costs for exporters, and delays shipments destined for Chilean ports.