A climber’s 42nd birthday celebrations ended in tragedy after she plunged 2,000ft to her death down a volcano in Chile.
Ingrid Daniela Vera Figueroa was climbing the Llaima volcano in the Conguillío National Park with a group of friends to celebrate her birthday when she fell last Sunday.
The mother-of-two, who worked as a school governor at Alexander Graham Bell School in Villarrica City, had been taking photos on the ascent when she released her ice pick, lost her balance and fell down a steep ravine, according to reports.
Just hours before scaling one of Chile’s most active volcanoes, Figueroa had posted a message on social media, telling her followers: ‘It’s three in the morning, and we’re finishing packing our backpacks to ascend Llaima.
‘I hope God accompanies me on this wonderful day, on which I’m turning 42 and am super happy.’
She added, ominously: ‘Yes, I have a little uncertainty about what’s going to happen.’
Her friends immediately alerted emergency services, but rescue efforts were hampered by severe weather, with strong winds preventing a rescue helicopter from reaching the site.
Ingrid’s death was confirmed that evening, but her body could not be recovered until Monday morning due to the continuing poor weather conditions.
Ingrid Daniela Vera Figueroa was climbing with a group of friends when the accident occurred at around 3pm on Sunday
The mother-of-two posted a birthday message on social media just hours before her death
A joint operation involving police, firefighters, volunteers, and representatives from the National Forest Corporation (Conaf) successfully retrieved her remains.
Conaf director Héctor Tillería said the hiking group did not register with the park authorities beforehand, contrary to protocol.
He warned of adverse weather this week, with sub-zero temperatures and demanding high-mountain conditions, and urged all climbers to register properly for safety.
Figueroa was an avid climber and had scaled various peaks in the region.
A school spokesperson, where Ingrid served as governor, called her a ‘responsible, kind, committed’ mother.
The community offered condolences to her husband, her two children, her family, and her friends.
Volcán Llaima, one of Chile’s most active volcanoes at over 3,000 metres, is a popular but challenging destination for experienced hikers.
Authorities continue to investigate the precise circumstances of the fall.
The Llaima volcano is considered one of the most demanding challenges in southern Chile.
The route usually begins at the Las Araucarias ski resort and requires between seven and eight hours of hiking.
The tragedy at the Chilean volcano comes a year after an Argentinian tourist went missing for several hours while attempting to climb the same mountain in extreme conditions, before being rescued.
It also comes a year after a young Brazilian hiker fell over a thousand feet from the ridge of an Indonesian volcano and was trapped for almost four days before dying.
The tourist, 26-year-old Juliana Marins, began summiting Mount Rinjan on June 21 last year, an active 12,224-foot volcano on the Indonesian island of Lombok, with a guide and five other foreigners, when she fell some 1,968 feet, Indonesian authorities said.
The Indonesian rescue team said it found Marin’s body beside a crater using a thermal drone after four days of intensive searches complicated by extremely harsh terrain and weather.
Indonesia’s island of Lombok lies east of Jakarta and neighbours the island of Bali. Mount Rinjani, the country’s second-tallest peak, is a popular destination for trekkers.
Marins, a dancer who lived in Niteroi, outside Rio de Janeiro, had been travelling across Asia since February, her family said. She had visited the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand before reaching Indonesia.
