Three people stranded in Catamarca's Puna amid snowstorm

A snowstorm in the Puna region of Catamarca Province left three people, including a Rio Tinto contractor, stranded overnight in La Apacheta. The group had departed around 10 a.m. from Villa de Antofagasta de la Sierra en route to the Project Fénix when they were first instructed to turn back due to bad weather, then told to continue. Their vehicle became trapped and rescue operations were halted because conditions remained unsafe.

The provincial government learned of the incident through the miners' union AOMA, but no official statement had been issued at the time of reporting. The episode follows a recent rescue of 14 miners and a historic operation that saved 211 tourists in the same area, reviving concerns over high‑altitude safety, weather‑risk assessment, and emergency response protocols in the Argentine high mountains.