Tragedy of Antuco
Encyclopedia
On May 18 2005 Major of the Chilean Army
Patricio Cereceda, on a routine training mission, ordered 474 conscripts of the 17th Regiment of Los Ángeles
to march
28-km along the side of the Antuco volcano
at altitudes of 1400 metres (4,593.2 ft) and 1700 metres (5,577.4 ft) in spite of some sergeants and corporals appeals to Cereceda to cancel the order on account of the bad weather conditions. Major Cereceda stayed back at a military mountain shelter.
Of the five companies
sent, only one was wearing mountain survival gear and the soldiers, most of them teenagers, had begun the conscription
less than three months earlier.
As a storm struck five hours into the march, the conscripts were completely disoriented by a viento blanco
of swirling, frozen snow that blinded and stung.
Most of them were able to hike out or hole up in shelters, but the victims, 44 conscripts and one seargent, died of hypothermia or exposure in the mountains.
s died in Alpatacal (Argentina), as they visited officially the independence day of Argentina.
The army announced a US$5,400 in life insurance, US$4,900 in reparations, and a monthly pension of about US$260 for the family.
After the tragedy prominent political figures called for the abolition of the compulsory military service.
Major Patricio Cereceda, chief of Battalion
, Lieutenant colonel
Luis Pineda, and Colonel
Roberto Mercado, commander of the Regiment
were forced to retire. Beside the top officers, six junior officers received jail sentences ranging from two to 10 days and punitive marks on their military records.
The Army Chief of Chile’s Division III General
Rodolfo González resigned as a matter of honor. In his resignation, the general assumed responsibility for the actions of his subordinates.
Chilean Army
The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....
Patricio Cereceda, on a routine training mission, ordered 474 conscripts of the 17th Regiment of Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to march
March
March is in present time held to be the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of the seven months which are 31 days long....
28-km along the side of the Antuco volcano
Antuco (volcano)
Antuco Volcano is a stratovolcano located in the Bío-Bío Region of Chile, near Sierra Velluda and on the shore of Laguna del Laja.- In literature :* The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin* Les Enfants du capitaine Grant by Jules Verne...
at altitudes of 1400 metres (4,593.2 ft) and 1700 metres (5,577.4 ft) in spite of some sergeants and corporals appeals to Cereceda to cancel the order on account of the bad weather conditions. Major Cereceda stayed back at a military mountain shelter.
Of the five companies
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
sent, only one was wearing mountain survival gear and the soldiers, most of them teenagers, had begun the conscription
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
less than three months earlier.
As a storm struck five hours into the march, the conscripts were completely disoriented by a viento blanco
Whiteout (weather)
Whiteout is a weather condition in which visibility and contrast are severely reduced by snow or sand. The horizon disappears completely and there are no reference points at all, leaving the individual with a distorted orientation...
of swirling, frozen snow that blinded and stung.
Most of them were able to hike out or hole up in shelters, but the victims, 44 conscripts and one seargent, died of hypothermia or exposure in the mountains.
Political
It was the military's worst peacetime military disaster since 1927, when 12 Chilean cadetCadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
s died in Alpatacal (Argentina), as they visited officially the independence day of Argentina.
The army announced a US$5,400 in life insurance, US$4,900 in reparations, and a monthly pension of about US$260 for the family.
After the tragedy prominent political figures called for the abolition of the compulsory military service.
Military
The Antuco military investigation sanctioned nine officers for their responsibility in a snow training that "never should have been carried out" Three career officers were forced to resign, six subordinates were officially reprimanded, and 10 soldiers were praised for their actions.Major Patricio Cereceda, chief of Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
, Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Luis Pineda, and Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Roberto Mercado, commander of the Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
were forced to retire. Beside the top officers, six junior officers received jail sentences ranging from two to 10 days and punitive marks on their military records.
The Army Chief of Chile’s Division III General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Rodolfo González resigned as a matter of honor. In his resignation, the general assumed responsibility for the actions of his subordinates.