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 28km along the side of the Antuco volcano at altitudes of and {{convert, 1,700, m, 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 been conscripted less than three months earlier. As a storm struck five hours into the march, the conscripts were completely disoriented by a viento blanco (whiteout). Most of them were able to hike out or hole up in shelters, but the victims, 44 conscripts and one sergeant, died of hypothermia or exposure in the mountains.

Consequences

Political

It was the military's worst peacetime military disaster since 1927, when 12 Chilean

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

s died in Alpatacal (Argentina), as they visited Argentina for the country's independence day. 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 the

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Luis Pineda, and

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Roberto Mercado, commander of the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

were forced to retire. Beside the top officers, six junior officers received jail sentences ranging from two to ten days and punitive marks on their military records. The Army Chief of Chile's Division III

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Rodolfo González resigned as a matter of honor. In his resignation, the general assumed responsibility for the actions of his subordinates.

Judicial

Six of the men were also involved in a civilian inquiry but only Major Patricio Cereceda was sentenced to 5 years in the

Punta Peuco Prison Punta Peuco Prison (''Penal de Punta Peuco''), officially Centro de Detención Preventiva y Cumplimiento Penitenciario Especial Punta Peuco, is a prison located in the municipality of Tiltil, Santiago Metropolitan Region. Punta Peuco is a specia ...

. He was released on parole on 3 November 2011, after 3 years and 9 months in prison.

Indemnification

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 surviving dependents. The

Supreme Court of Chile The Supreme Court of Chile is the highest court in Chile. It also administers the lower courts in the nation. It is located in the capital Santiago. In the Chilean system, the court lacks the broader power of judicial review—it cannot set bindin ...

determined an indemnification of US$560,000 for the 27 survivors (US$20,600 for each one)Chilean newspaper online

El Mostrador El Mostrador is a Chilean online newspaper, founded on 1 March 2000. Its current president is Germán Olmedo Acedvedo and its director is Federico Joannon Errázuriz. History ''El Mostrador'' was launched on 1 March 2000 and is Chile's first exclu ...

, on 7 March 2013
Suprema confirma: Estado deberá pagar $10 millones a sobrevivientes de la tragedia de Antuco
retrieved on 7 March 2013, in Spanish language

References

External links

El Mercurio

Chile: Death of conscripts in blizzard-struck march could lead to sweeping changes in military
Political scandals in Chile Military history of Chile 2005 in Chile Mountaineering in Chile May 2005 events in South America History of Biobío Region