US tourist found dead while trekking in Ushuaia

United States national Sean Christopher Bartel, 37, was found dead on a trekking trail in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, on Sunday, after three days missing. Local police are  investigating the circumstances of his death. Although a formal identification is pending, local authorities confirmed they retrieved a male body three kilometers away from where Bartels rental car was found. Authorities had issued an alert about this disappearance on Saturday, after which they began a search operation. According to the report, police first found the rental car at a parking lot located at the start of a popular trekking trail known as Laguna Esmeralda, on Sunday afternoon. Following that trail, a special search and rescue team from the Tierra del Fuego province police located the body on the way to the Ojo del Albino glacier, where he seemed to be headed. No signs of criminal activity were found, and the hypothesis [of death] is a fall from great altitude, the report said, as cited by local news site Info Fueguina. Local media reported that Bartel, who worked as a journalist, had arrived in Ushuaia last week and was traveling alone. Security footage released by police showed he was last seen on Thursday morning leaving his rental apartment, wearing clothes that were not apt for the cold weather of the mountainous trekking trail he was apparently headed to. Bartels absence went unnoticed until Saturday, when he was supposed to check out. As the host of the rental apartment realized she was unable to contact him, she called the authorities. Inside the apartment, they found all his belongings, including his passport, local outlet Radio Fueguina reported. Bartel had a profile on Instagram where he shared photos of his trips around the world. He said he had visited 56 countries so far. There, he shared photos of his visit to Buenos Aires, where he arrived three weeks ago after visiting Brazil and Uruguay. Before Ushuaia, he had been at El Chaltn, in Santa Cruz province. His last post showed him posing in front of an Ushuaia sign on Wednesday. Friends and colleagues took to social media to lament Bartels passing. Very sad. Sean was a good guy. He and I were colleagues in my early TV days in Eville. The world is a dangerous place. But, he would agree, it shouldnt stop any of us from exploring its reaches, wrote Tim Black on Facebook, where many fellow colleagues replied in shock about the news. He was a beautiful person inside and out. I loved seeing his adventures as he traveled the world. What a loss. He was one of the most actualized people I knew, authentically curious and compelled to go see for himself. May we all be more like Sean, said Julia Carver Kathary. Best practices when trekking in mountainous areas in Argentina include not venturing alone onto unknown trails and letting someone know of your whereabouts and the estimated time of arrival. If traveling alone, check for certified mountain guides in the area to accompany you. You may also be interested in: Visiting Patagonia in Argentina: Trek safely with these tips