Overview
- Konstantin Bitiukov, 55, collapsed in the El Hombro sector at roughly 6,800 meters on the normal route and could not be revived after about 20 minutes of CPR with oxygen and adrenaline.
- Rescue patrol officers and park rangers reached the site by helicopter, confirmed the death on the mountain, and reported it as the first of the 2025–2026 Aconcagua climbing season.
- Fiscal María Luz Maturano of Oficina Fiscal Nº 11 took charge of the case, with removal of the body conditioned on safe meteorological windows.
- In a separate incident in Los Glaciares National Park, a 69-year-old Italian tourist died on the Laguna de los Tres trail despite AED use and more than 40 minutes of CPR.
- El Chaltén teams also airlifted guide Emanuel Hartmann, 27, to intensive care after a severe head injury and assisted other injured hikers, as park authorities reiterated mandatory insurance and official registration requirements.