A Brazilian couple ate ice after running out of food while stranded in the middle of a snowstorm in Chile.
Aurora Rodrigues, 59, and her husband Eraldo Rodrigues, 60, were reunited with their family after being rescued in the northern town of Acopiapó, near the border with Argentina.
“These were very difficult days, our faith was tested and so was our hope of returning,” Aurora told Brazilian outlet G1. “When we found ourselves in this situation, the only certainty we had was that we might not return.”
The couple’s daughter-in-law, Cintia Martins, told the outlet that they left their Rio de Janeiro home on August 2 and checked out of their hotel on August 18.
Brazilian couple Eraldo Rodrigues (left) and Aurora Rodrigues (right) spent five days trapped in an emergency shelter in northern Chile near the border with Argentina, having to eat ice after running out of food.
Inside the emergency shelter in northern Chile where a Brazilian couple spent five days and had to feed themselves with ice after running out of food
On the way, Eraldo Rodrigues found poor visibility on the road and lost control of the vehicle.
“When he made a sharp turn to avoid something, he crashed and got stuck in the snow,” Martins said.
The couple left a note on their car and headed to an emergency shelter, where they planned to spend the night and set up a tent with a mattress for their arms.
On the morning of August 19, Aurora and Eraldo walked back to where they had left their vehicle and found it buried in the snow.
“It was impossible to get out of there,” Martins said. “They went to the car as soon as they could because of the bad weather and cleared as much snow as they could. But the blizzard continued.”
The weather worsened and the temperature dropped to -4 degrees Fahrenheit at night. To keep their feet warm, Aurota and Eraldo placed bags between their sneakers and socks.
“On the second day, Eraldo started patching the holes, as the blizzard had brought a lot of snow into the shelter,” Martins said. “Using duct tape he kept in his car, he made as many repairs to the shelter as he could. It wasn’t enough, but it did reduce the amount of ice coming in day and night.”
The Brazilian couple were forced to abandon their vehicle when it crashed on August 18 in northern Chile while driving back to their home in Rio de Janeiro.
The Brazilian couple were found by a search and rescue team on Friday and were reunited with their son and daughter-in-law on Saturday.
By the fourth day, the couple had finished the candy, cookies, apples and cans of tuna they had rationed and began eating ice.
“The water ran out,” Martins said. “So they ate ice to stay hydrated. The gas in the stove also ran out. That was the limit.”
Concerned relatives reported her missing last Thursday.
Aurora and Eraldo were found by a search and rescue team and reunited with their son and daughter-in-law on Saturday.
The couple were declared in good health after undergoing routine medical check-ups and will extend their vacation to spend time with their son and daughter-in-law.
