Mountain climber declared dead after falling into a crater on one of the highest peaks in Peru
A Brazilian mountain climber was found lifeless after falling into the crater of Peru's fourth highest mountain, his family said.
Marcelo Delvaux had been missing since June 30 when he started to descend from Nevado Coropuna in Arequipa.
Delvaux, considered by many as the best mountaineers in Brazil, didn't survive the fall into the crevasse of the mountain, which is 21,079 feet above sea level, his sister told CNN Brasil.
The family hired professional guides who joined the police in searching for Delvaux on July 4 before the search was called off Sunday.
'When they got up there, they found his poles stuck in the ice and the crack open, which is where he fell and probably died instantly,' Delvaux sister, Patricia Delvaux, said. 'Because he was unable to activate the GPS's 'SOS', we assume he fell there. The crack is very deep, very difficult to perform a rescue.'
Brazilian mountain climber Marcelo Delvaux was found dead Saturday, a week after falling into the crater of the Nevado Coropuna, the fourth highest peak in Peru
The Nevado Coropuna is located 21,079 in Arequipa, Peru
Pedro Hauck, a hiker and friend of Marcelo Delvaux, wrote on a blog that he at the mountain grounds on June 25 and set up his camp tent and went on several walks while eventually taking a different route to reach the southwestern end of the Nevado Coropuna.
'More technical and more beautiful than the normal one. Very much like Marcelo, who doesn't follow normal paths and tries to make his own, avoiding famous places,' Hauck said.
Hauck said that Delvaux reached Nevado Coropuna's summit around 3pm local time and started his trek down about half hour later.
But the GPS stopped transmitting his location after he made it 328 down the mountain and started to register points that were near each other, similar to what occurs when the signal is being lost.
'What if Marcelo had dropped the GPS and it had rolled into a crevasse? That could explain why he hadn't contacted anyone,' Hauck wondered.
Marcelo Delvaux was known as perhaps the best mountain climber in Brazil
Marcelo Delvaux had climbed at least 150 mountains, including the Himalayas
Marcelo Delvaux's trekking poles were located Saturday morning. The search and rescue team spotted his tent and equipment at the base of the mountain and footprints were discovered around the edge of the edge of the mountain's crater.
'Perhaps on the way up, he used them to signal the best place to cross, but on the way down he ended up losing support and our friend disappeared into its cold, dark interior,' Hauck wrote.
The Nevado Coropuna was one of 150 mountains that Marcelo Delvaux conquered alongside the Himalayas and Andes.
The mountain features seven peaks and takes about three to four days to climb.
Marcelo Delvaux first attempted to climb the Nevado Coropuna in 2015 and returned in 2016 and made it to the top of four of the seven summits. He went back in July 2023, but had to abort the trip after encountering an area that was full of crevasses.
He lived in the southeastern Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, but often spent most the year hiking and working as tour guide in the Andes.
