Five tourists killed in Chile snowstorm

Five foreign tourists were killed after a powerful snowstorm struck Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia, southern Chile, the local government said Tuesday.

Jose Antonio Ruiz, the presidential delegate for the Magallanes and the Chilean Antarctica Region, said the dead were two Mexicans, two Germans and a British woman, all part of a tour group visiting the park.

Ruiz said the tourists got lost while strolling in the Los Perros district, located about 11 km from the park entrance, reports Xinhua.

"Unfortunately, these five victims are still in the phase of evacuation planning and consular procedures due to their nationalities," he said.

Ruiz confirmed that the bodies would be evacuated by helicopter from an area that is "extremely difficult to access" when weather conditions allow.