A Uruguayan man who disappeared in winter in the Andes Mountains has been found alive and well. Raul Fernando Gomez, 58, got lost in a blizzard while crossing the Andes range. His ordeal began when his motorbike broke down in the middle of nowhere. He told reporters his only choice was to walk and hope a town was nearby. He became disoriented in the snow and got lost. He found a shelter 2,840 metres above sea level and stayed there. He hoped he could survive the long, freezing winter. A local governor said: "The truth is that this is a miracle. We still can't believe it."

Mr Gomez was rescued by a team of meteorological workers. They had helicoptered to the shelter to record snowfall levels. Gomez had survived by catching rats and eating supplies left at the shelter. Doctors were surprised he was in good health and said he was very tough. He was very thin because he hadn't eaten enough and had lost 20kg. Even though had high blood pressure and he smoked, he was allowed to leave hospital days after arriving. In 1972, plane-crash survivors survived sub-zero temperatures in the Andes for 72 days by eating the bodies of passengers who had died.