Three Climbers Missing on Peru's Highest Peak, Huascarán

Rescuers are searching for three Peruvian climbers missing on Mount Huascarán, Peru's highest peak, after they lost contact during a severe storm, authorities said Tuesday.

The climbers – Alejandro Ugarte, Saúl Mendoza and Artidoro Salas Gaytán – were part of a five-member expedition that included two more experienced foreign climbers, according to Valeria Chávez, who spoke to Infobae Perú. The group began its ascent during the mountain climbing season. During the descent, the two foreign climbers moved ahead more quickly, leaving the three Peruvians behind in an area known as La Garganta.

Search efforts are focused at elevations between about 19,700 and 21,650 feet above sea level on Huascarán's eastern face toward Mount Chopicalqui, the third-highest peak in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range, Peru's Regional Emergency Operations Center said.

Beto Pinto, president of the Peruvian Mountain Guides Association, told Perú21 that the climbers are believed to be at an altitude of about 21,000 feet, based on the last coordinates automatically transmitted by the GPS watch worn by Ugarte before the signal was lost. The group's last communication came Tuesday, when they sent a WhatsApp message reporting they had become lost during a severe storm.