Chile storm survivor reveals ‘grief, shock and guilt’ after death of fellow British hiker

A survivor of a snowstorm in Chile has spoken of his feelings of guilt and shock over the death of his friend who died that day alongside four other people.

Victoria Bond, 40, from Cornwall, was among five people found dead last Tuesday after winds of over 120mph hit the Patagonia region in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

Christian Aldridge, 41, from Newquay in Cornwall, was with Ms Bond and three other British friends hoping to complete the O Circuit hiking trail. The five were part of a larger group of around 30 hikers who faced the storm that was equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.

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He told Sky News how he became separated from Ms Bond, but later managed to find some of the rest of the group.

At base camp, they realised some members were missing and organised a search party. The volunteer rescuers found three bodies.

“We're relieved to be alive, of course, but devastated because we've lost one of our best friends and one of the most amazing people I've met,” he said.

"And we're all carrying around with us a huge amount of grief, shock and guilt. We keep replaying everything that happened that day and asking, what could we have done differently? And it's overwhelming and it still doesn't feel real."

Mr Aldridge added: "They recovered one of [the hikers] and she was still alive at the time and brought her down on a homemade stretcher that the rest of us in the camp made from sleeping mats, polystyrene and walking poles.

"There were fortunately medics in these volunteer groups, but unfortunately she went into hypothermic cardiac arrest. She was shocked twice and they worked on her for an hour, but she didn't make it through."

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Along with Ms Bond, two German and two Mexican citizens died, according to Chilean authorities.

Adam Walker, a friend of Ms Bond’s, described her death as utterly heartbreaking.

Mr Walker said: “Victoria was one of those rare people who made everything brighter just by being there.

“Kind, passionate and full of warmth, she was a little bundle of infectious energy and you couldn’t help but be lifted by her presence.”