'There was a historic blizzard': Truck driver from Rio Grande do Sul has been trapped for 40 days in Chile

Truck driver from Rio Grande do Sul has been stuck in Chile for 40 days after snowfall Truck driver Adrisson Menezes Leite, 41 years old, from Passo Fundo (RS), traveled to Chile to transport trailer parts. On my way back, I would take Chilean wines to Brazil. It was supposed to be one of many transports that he has been carrying out for over 20 years on the roads of South America. This time, the itinerary did not go as planned. Adrisson has been detained at a point near Los Andes, a municipality about 80 kilometers from the capital Santiago, since the beginning of July. The country lives with historic snowfalls and, this Wednesday (19), declared a state of emergency due to catastrophe in the province of Tocopilla, in the north, after heavy rains caused floods and landslides. ? Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp Therefore, many roads are closed, both due to accumulation of snow on the track and the risk of avalanches along the route. The Los Andes region, as the name suggests, is close to the Andes Mountains. "What happened is that there was a historic snowfall. I don't think it's snowed this much since 1960. This is the main crossing point and it's closed. The highway right in the Cordillera, which on one side is Argentina and on the other is Chile, is impassable. There was 10, 12 meters of snow", he reports. Even though he lives on the road, and has been traveling Chile-Argentina-Brazil for decades, Adrisson had never been stuck in foreign territory for so long. Truck driver Adrisson Menezes Leite, born in Passo Fundo (RS), has been stuck in Chile for 40 days after a snowstorm. Personal archive "I've been coming here for years, I've been traveling since the 2000s and it's the first time I've spent so many days here on the Chilean side because of snowfall. We usually stayed for a week, 10, 15 days. But more than 40 days in the same place is the first time. The gaucho has been living for 41 days in a parking lot next to a gas station. He sleeps in the truck, cooks in the truck. In the place, he says there are around 50 Brazilians in the same situation. They take turns shopping at the nearest market, which is six kilometers away. Standing still, the workers are left without pay, while the costs of their improvised stay increase. “We park the truck, pay a daily rate of around R$40 and have a shower, there is a guard there. It's a somewhat precarious business, but on the street it's more dangerous. All these days it was already 400 dollars. Here beef is very expensive, so we only eat it on Sunday. From Monday to Saturday it's chicken and pork", he says. To pass the time, Adrisson adjusts parts of the truck, tightens screws and plays cards with his road partners. On Tuesdays, they form a group to play football on a nearby court. Tranquility is essential to remain calm in moments of anxiety. "You have to remain calm so as not to fight, not to have disagreements with anyone. Everyone wants to go home to see their children, see their wife, eat something different, after all this time standing here doing the same thing”, says the gaucho." Adrisson has two sons and a daughter waiting for him in Passo Fundo, in addition to his wife. The new prospect of opening the highways is for next Friday (21). "Everyone's desire to leave. In addition to the longing, there is the issue that everyone is standing still and those who are standing still don't gain anything, they are just spending." VIDEOS: Everything about RS