Girl, 3, dies after car plunges into Lake Nahuel Huapi on icy road

A tragic accident on Saturday claimed the life of a three-year-old girl and left her parents injured and suffering from hypothermia after their car slid on an ice-covered avenue and plunged into Lake Nahuel Huapi near San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The family was reportedly local.

The incident occurred on Avenida Bustillo, at kilometer 15, when the vehicle veered off the asphalt, careened down a dirt path, and entered the frigid waters of the lake. Police sources indicated that the parents managed to exit the vehicle in time but were unable to free their daughter from her seatbelt.

Emergency services, including Prefectura Naval divers, firefighters, and medical personnel, launched a rescue operation. The parents were transported to San Carlos Hospital, where they are receiving treatment for their injuries, hypothermia, and psychological support following the loss of their child. Divers and firefighters worked for hours in challenging conditions to recover the girl's body from the vehicle, which had fallen down a more than 20-meter (65-foot) embankment.

Witnesses reported hearing the parents' desperate cries for help, which alerted nearby residents who then contacted the police. Investigators, led by prosecutors Guillermo Lista and Álvaro Viterbori, were on the scene. By late afternoon, the child's body had been recovered and taken to Camping Cirse, where the investigation is ongoing. The difficult conditions in the sector of the lake where the car submerged complicated the recovery efforts.