A "miraculous" rescue occurred on June 29 in Laguna Turquesa, Argentina, roughly 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Ushuaia, where a couple was being buried under snow by an avalanche for an hour before being rescued.
Footage posted on social media captured the recovery of the two hikers, a 50-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman, who had ventured into the mountains without the necessary gear. Neither was equipped with an avalanche transceiver (AVD), a device used to locate individuals buried by snow. The pair were lucky that nearby snowboarders noticed movement under the snow.
Avalanches can be deadly and destructive, causing loss of life and significant damage to communities. To understand the full impact, explore this gallery featuring some of the world’s most devastating avalanche disasters.