Post by Focus on Sept 9, 2013 21:23:04 GMT
Officials later revealed he was a wanted man and a warrant had been issued in Chile in April over child sex abuse allegations.
A man who was lost in the freezing Andes for four months and survived on a diet of rats and raisins was fleeing child sex charges.
Skin and bone : Raul Fernando Gomez Circunegui now
Stunned rescuers discovered Raul Fernando Gomez Cincunegu, 58, who had shed three stone in weight, on the floor of a shelter at 14,760ft.
He was reunited with his family in hospital today and his daughter Patricia said: “He’s delighted to have been rescued. It’s a miracle.”
But officials later revealed he was a wanted man and a warrant had been issued in Chile in April over child sex abuse allegations.
The Uruguayan had crossed the mountains from Argentina to Chile on his 200cc motorbike to meet up with friends.
On the way back in May his bike broke down and he decided to continue on foot.
Rescued : Raul, pictured lying down, survived for four months
As he walked, a snowstorm hit and he told rescuers he got lost.
The dad-of-three was found by officials from Argentina’s San Juan province who spotted him waving his arms from the shelter as they recorded snow levels nearby.
Weak and emaciated, he was airlifted to hospital in Argentina.
He told rescuers he ate sugar, raisins and rats he trapped, plus the occasional owl and supplies left over in the hut as he sheltered from -20C temperatures.
One of the team said: “He suffered hunger and anxiety but he kept his hopes up and was very happy to see us.”
Tests : The Uruguayan at hospital
San Juan Governor Jose Luis Gioja added: “He’s very thin, his bones are sticking through his skin.”
Today, in his home city of Bella Union, northern Uruguay, Gomez’s mother Irma Cincunegui, said she did not believe the abuse allegations, insisting: “He never had troubles with anybody.”
She called him a “warrior” and said she “always thought he was alive”.
Medics said the plumber could be out within days but they were waiting to hear from officials in Chile before letting him leave.
[Gomez’s mother Irma Cincunegui called him 'a warrior'] - The woman's deluded ... they should have fcking left him there!! - Fx
