Snow, ice and strong winds have forced closures of roads and impacted trade between Argentina and Chile. File Photo by Carlos Alvear/EPA
BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 11 (UPI) — More than 5,000 trucks remain stranded along the Argentina-Chile border as snow, ice and strong winds have forced closures of roads and more than 15 border crossings, while authorities step up emergency operations across several areas of the Andes.
On the Argentine side, nearly 3,000 trucks are waiting for major border crossings to reopen in the western provinces of Mendoza and Neuquén and the Patagonian provinces of Río Negro and Santa Cruz. Some crossings have been closed since mid-July, with no date set for reopening.
The affected crossings include Jama, Socompa, San Francisco, Pircas Negras, Pascua Lama, Cristo Redentor and Pehuenche, according to Argentina’s Security Ministry.
The Cristo Redentor crossing in Mendoza, one of the main land routes between Argentina and Chile, is among the most significant closures for international freight. The route connects the Argentine city of Mendoza with the Los Andes area of Chile and is part of a major trade corridor between the two countries.
That crossing has been closed since mid-July because of weather conditions, Argentine financial newspaper Ámbito Financiero reported. The closure also affects National Route 7 near the international tunnel, a key route for cargo transportation between Argentina and Chile.
The closures have left about 2,000 trucks backed up in staging areas on the Argentine side, while another 1,500 trucks remain stranded near the Pino Hachado crossing in Neuquén province, according to the Río Negro newspaper.
Authorities continue to assist drivers and clear roads as severe weather restricts traffic through the Andes.
Argentina’s National Gendarmerie Squadron 31, part of the federal security force responsible for guarding the country’s land borders, activated its emergency protocol for high-altitude areas and is coordinating assistance for truck drivers.
The conditions have forced many drivers to remain in their vehicles for days. The prolonged closures have disrupted overland freight between Argentina and Chile, increasing travel times and costs for drivers and transportation companies.
In Chile, Freddy Martínez, president of Chile’s Confederation of Central-Southern Truckers, said about 2,000 trucks have been unable to cross the Andes through various border crossings, most of them at Los Libertadores, which marked its 27th consecutive day without operations Tuesday.
Martínez told Chile’s Radio Biobío that many truck drivers have traveled to nearby cities to find food and shelter because of the severe weather. He expressed concern about the drivers, saying many are older than 50 and have medical conditions.
He praised the assistance provided to the truckers in Argentina, including hot meals and medical care.
Martínez said Chilean drivers, as well as truckers from Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil, have been affected by the closures.
After a period of intense cold and heavy snowfall across much of South America, the prolonged closure of border crossings between Argentina and Chile has again highlighted the vulnerability of logistics corridors that support a significant share of bilateral trade, specialized outlet AduanaNews reported.
Chile’s Chamber of Customs Brokers addressed the situation in a statement, warning that “the simultaneous closure of the main border crossings between Argentina and Chile once again exposes a recurring vulnerability in regional foreign trade: the heavy dependence on logistics corridors that can remain inoperable for weeks due to extreme weather events.”
The border between Argentina and Chile stretches more than 3,290 miles and includes numerous international crossings that play a key role in physical and commercial connectivity between the two countries.
