Two Germans and an Ecuadorian have been missing since Friday following an avalanche while they were climbing Cayambe volcano in northern Ecuador, authorities reported. Edwin Lugsi, head of the rescue services, stated during a press conference that one of the climbers is Ecuadorian while the other two hold German nationality. He added that rescue teams are making "every effort" to find the missing individuals, but "the mountain conditions are not ideal at the moment."
The Ecuadorian Association of Mountain Guides noted on social media that two of its guides learned "that the team fell into a gap." One of the guides "tried to contact the team, but no one responded." The avalanche occurred on Friday at around 6:15 AM local time (11:15 AM GMT) at an altitude of approximately 5,700 meters.
Cayambe volcano has an elevation of 5,790 meters and is located 60 kilometers northeast of Quito. The Ecuadorian Geophysical Institute indicates that its walls are covered with glacial ice that can be up to 50 meters thick at the summit. The Ministry of Environment stated that Cayambe-Coca National Park has been temporarily closed to tourists due to the avalanche.
