Survivors of Chile blizzard that killed Cheryl Tweedy’s ex-aide say they were forced to become rescuers amid ‘failings’

SURVIVORS of the blizzard that killed Cheryl Tweedy’s ex-aide Victoria Bond said a string of official “failures” left them fighting for their lives.

Monday’s 120mph whiteout storm in Patagonia turned one of the world’s greatest hiking routes into a disaster zone.

Trekkers caught on the John Garner Pass in Chile’s Torres del Paine claimed they were pushed up the mountain by staff who allegedly insisted conditions were normal, only to be “abandoned” when the storm exploded.

Five foreign hikers died in the blizzard – including Bond, a PR worker from Cornwall – alongside two Germans and two Mexicans.

Survivors have now said the tragedy “should have been avoided” and that park authorities and campsite managers left them to become rescuers, medics and stretcher-builders in the chaos.

Tom Player, a London composer, had never seen a dead body before that morning.

Tom said he found Mexican hiker Julian Garcia Pimentel “lying on his front with his eyes wide open” in the storm.

He had already been searching for his friend Bond, who vanished during the descent.

Tom told the Daily Mail: “There were so many failures on top of each other that led to this. It’s a tragedy that should have been avoided.

“They could have just said, ‘sorry, it’s closed today’, which they later did but only because they were dead bodies on there, not because they were worried about people’s safety.”

‘We trusted them’

Multiple trekkers allege that campsite staff and park rangers told them it was safe to go up despite forecasts of winds strong enough “to be classified as a tropical storm”.

Maeve, an experienced hiker from California, said: “These [staff] from Chile… did not suggest that we don’t go, we trusted them. We figured they were encouraging us to go.”

Tom said he was shown the forecast at Los Perros camp and told: “Oh, it’s normal.”

Instead, climbers walked straight into a nightmare, with a blinding whiteout, sheet ice and gusts so intense they had to crawl.

Chris Aldridge, a British TV and film director hiking with Tom and Bond, previously said: “Most of the time I was thinking, ‘Oh, this is where we die’.

“It was pretty terrifying. I slid down the mountain once at a very high speed and I couldn’t stop.”

He recalled hikers were knocked over, blasted in the face by ice, and left unable to look up.

“People couldn’t see in front or behind,” he added.

Survivors claimed many lacked proper gear after being reassured conditions were fine.

Some trekkers had no gloves, so frostbite and hypothermia spread quickly.

And as conditions collapsed, groups merged for safety.

Survivors turned rescuers

When Tom made it back to camp, Bond was nowhere to be found.

He said campsite staff seemed stunned when he reported a missing person.

“They said, ‘oh, let me just finish this booking’. I was just kind of baffled,” he said.

He and a staff member grabbed hot water bottles, sleeping bags and mats donated by other campers and went back up to search.

They first reached Cristina Calvillo Tovar, who later died, before Tom pushed on alone.

He found Julian unresponsive, recalling: “He wasn’t breathing… his eyes were open. I thought, ‘I’ve got to carry on’.”

He located another collapsed woman and tried to warm her with coats, sleeping bags and hot water.

But as he pushed higher again, he realised he might not survive.

“You couldn’t see anything… My heart said: ‘You’ve got to go on’. My head said: ‘This is insanely risky and dangerous and you could lose your life’.”

At Los Perros, Australian emergency doctor Lydia Birch said international volunteers created a treatment area themselves.

Two doctors hiked back into the blizzard to reach a woman in cardiac arrest. Despite prolonged efforts, she could not be revived.

Lydia said campsite management allegedly asked volunteers to buy sleeping bags, gas and food, and delayed providing medical kits.

“We mostly relied on people’s personal kits,” she said.

Survivors also claimed a fully equipped stretcher was locked away. Chris said: “We built stretchers out of walking poles, tarpaulins and sleeping matts.”

Tom added: “We later found out there was a stretcher in a f***ing cupboard, but no one had the key.”

Trekkers said CONAF rangers – the authority responsible for the park – were not at the nearby ranger station and did not arrive for hours.

Formal rescue efforts reportedly did not begin until Tuesday morning due to conditions.

Maeve said: “There were no CONAF staff… no one was there to help us.”

Chris added: “It was OK for them not to go up but it was okay for us to go up, which is weird.”

The first alarm was raised long before rescuers arrived.

A desperate “Please Help” message appeared on a Facebook group for foreign visitors.

Bond had earlier shared video filmed by another Brit showing their group wading through raging rivers as the storm built, with soaked hikers stumbling across torrent-swollen crossings under darkening skies.

Those who survived say they are now struggling with exhaustion and guilt. Tom said: “All of us are having survivor guilt… The guilt is really hard to deal with.”

Survivors want a major overhaul: more rangers, real emergency plans, clear communication and proper training for all staff.

Lydia said: “What happened on that pass was a completely avoidable tragedy.”

Victoria Bond, an adventurer who once worked for Cheryl Tweedy and actor Annabelle Wallis, was among five foreign hikers wiped out when the ferocious storm tore through the Chilean nature reserve.

She died alongside Cristina Calvillo Tovar and Julian Garcia Pimentel, and German hikers Nadine Lichey and Andreas Von Pein.