Daniela Sáez, a 26-year-old university student, was rescued alive on Friday after getting lost during a hike in the Farellones area, in Lo Barnechea. The Special Police Operations Group (GOPE) of Carabineros located her on Cerro La Leonera at 4,700 meters altitude and transferred her to a clinic for medical attention. Her mother expressed deep gratitude to the rescue teams involved.
Daniela Sáez, 26 years old, got lost on Wednesday, December 17, while hiking in Farellones, a ski center in the Andes mountain range, 36 km from Santiago. She began the ascent around 5:00 a.m. with her friend Hernán, but he stopped in the El Pintor sector and she continued alone. Her last message was at 2:48 p.m., indicating she was descending, but she had no overnight gear, flashlight, or phone battery.
Her friend searched for her for five hours without success and alerted the family that night. The search involved Carabineros, GOPE, muleteers, municipal staff from Lo Barnechea and Las Condes, volunteers, and family friends, despite adverse weather.
On Friday, GOPE personnel arrived by helicopter and found her alive on the slopes of Cerro La Leonera, a complex access area at 4,700 meters above sea level. At 6:50 p.m., through a technical procedure, she was transferred to Clínica Los Andes, where she received initial medical attention from a doctor on site.
Leyla Pérez, Daniela's mother, expressed her emotion: “I am so excited, very happy and very grateful from our entire family and my children's friends, who were amazing. To Carabineros, to GOPE, to the Municipality of Lo Barnechea, of Las Condes. To the muleteers, who went up on horseback and were amazing, to the police who went up with their dogs”. She added: “There were many volunteers, whom I thank infinitely, because selflessly they went up despite the weather up there not being very good, so they risked their lives”. She also thanked psychologists and the press for their respect. “The first thing I want to do is give her a giant hug, the only thing I want is to hug her and take care of her”, she said with a choked voice.
Lieutenant Colonel Gonzalo Fabris, from GOPE, detailed: “After the work of GOPE personnel and people who joined the search and rescue in the sector of the slopes of Cerro Leonera, at 4,700 meters above sea level”. “We believe that led to finding Daniela alive”, he emphasized, thanking all the teams. He declined to provide details on the young woman's supplies.
