I hope God is with me on this wonderful day
Na manhã de seu aniversário de 42 anos, Ingrid Daniela Vera Figueroa subiu as encostas do vulcão Llaima, no Chile, carregando consigo tanto a alegria quanto a dúvida que ela mesma havia confessado em vídeo horas antes. Uma queda de seiscentos metros interrompeu sua vida naquele domingo, 17 de maio, transformando uma celebração pessoal em tragédia coletiva. O resgate foi retardado pela fúria do próprio vulcão — ventos, frio e visibilidade zero —, enquanto se descobria que o grupo jamais havia feito o registro obrigatório junto às autoridades. A montanha, indiferente ao luto humano, permanece como um lembrete severo de que a natureza não negocia com a imprevidência.
- Ingrid gravou um vídeo na manhã do seu aniversário confessando dúvida e esperança — horas depois, havia caído seiscentos metros pela encosta do Llaima.
- O grupo de escalada não havia cumprido o registro obrigatório exigido pelas autoridades antes de iniciar a trilha.
- Ventos extremos, temperaturas abaixo de zero e visibilidade quase nula impediram o helicóptero de decolar no domingo, deixando o corpo na montanha durante toda a noite.
- Somente na manhã de segunda-feira equipes especializadas da polícia chilena, bombeiros e resgate regional conseguiram retirar o corpo do vulcão.
- A Conaf emitiu alerta sobre as condições meteorológicas severas que persistem na região e reforçou a obrigatoriedade do registro para atividades de montanhismo.
- A comunidade de Villarrica e a escola onde Ingrid atuava como representante de pais prestaram homenagens a uma mulher descrita como responsável, gentil e apaixonada pela natureza.
Ingrid Daniela Vera Figueroa completava 42 anos naquele domingo, 17 de maio, e escolheu celebrá-los subindo o vulcão Llaima, que se ergue a 3.125 metros no Parque Nacional Conguillío, no Chile. Horas antes de partir, gravou um vídeo nas redes sociais preparando o equipamento e falando sobre o que sentia: alegria, mas também uma dúvida difícil de nomear. "Espero que Deus esteja comigo neste dia maravilhoso", disse ela.
Por volta das três da tarde, quando o grupo havia alcançado cerca de dois mil metros de altitude, Ingrid perdeu o equilíbrio na encosta. Caiu seiscentos metros e morreu no local. O que se seguiu foi um resgate travado pelas próprias condições do vulcão: ventos violentos, frio intenso e visibilidade praticamente nula impediram qualquer voo de helicóptero naquele domingo. O corpo permaneceu na montanha durante a noite. Apenas na manhã de segunda-feira equipes especializadas conseguiram descer com ela.
As investigações revelaram que o grupo nunca havia feito o registro obrigatório exigido antes de tentar a trilha. A Conaf emitiu nota destacando a irregularidade e alertando para as condições meteorológicas severas que continuariam afetando a região durante a semana.
Ingrid morava em Villarrica e era representante de pais na Escola de Artes Bicentenário Graham Bell, onde colegas a descreviam como dedicada e gentil. Seu velório foi realizado na quarta-feira, 20 de maio, em sua cidade natal. A escola e amigos a lembraram como alguém que amava a natureza e os caminhos que ela oferecia. O vulcão, no entanto, permaneceu indiferente — vento, pedra e frio, à espera do próximo desafio humano.
Ingrid Daniela Vera Figueroa was forty-two years old on Sunday, May 17th. She was also dead by that evening, having fallen six hundred meters down the slope of Llaima volcano in Chile's La Araucanía region. Hours before she began climbing, she had posted a video to social media showing her preparations for the day. In it, she spoke about the weight of what lay ahead—the uncertainty mixed with joy. "I hope God is with me on this wonderful day," she said. "I'm very happy. Yes, I have some doubt about what will happen."
The climb was a group effort aimed at reaching the summit of Llaima, a volcano that rises to 3,125 meters and sits within Conguillío National Park. Around three in the afternoon, when the climbers had reached approximately two thousand meters of altitude, Ingrid lost her footing on the mountainside. She fell the length of six football fields before coming to rest on the slope below. She died at the scene.
What followed was a rescue operation stalled by the mountain's own fury. Winds howled across the peak. Temperatures dropped below freezing. Visibility collapsed to nearly nothing. A helicopter that might have reached the site on Sunday could not fly in such conditions. The body remained on the mountain through the night. It was not until Monday morning, May 18th, that specialized teams from the Chilean police, the fire service, and regional rescue units were able to extract her and bring her down.
In the aftermath, authorities discovered that the climbing group had never filed the mandatory registration required before attempting the trail. The National Forest Corporation, known locally as Conaf, issued a statement noting this oversight while also warning the public about the severe and ongoing weather conditions affecting the region throughout the week. The message was clear: the mountain was dangerous, and people were not taking the proper precautions.
Ingrid lived in Villarrica, a town nestled near the volcano. She worked as a parent representative at the Bicentennial Graham Bell School of Arts, where she was remembered by colleagues as responsible, kind, and devoted. Her funeral was scheduled for Wednesday, May 20th, in her hometown. Friends and family described her as someone drawn to nature, to trails, to the pull of adventure. The local newspaper published a remembrance: "Her departure mourns the community and leaves a deep sadness among those who knew her." The school issued its own statement of loss. But the mountain, indifferent to ceremony or sorrow, continued its work—wind and cold and stone, waiting for the next person who would test themselves against it.
Citações Notáveis
I hope God is with me on this wonderful day. I'm very happy. Yes, I have some doubt about what will happen.— Ingrid Daniela Vera Figueroa, in a video posted hours before the climb
Her departure mourns the community and leaves a deep sadness among those who knew her.— Local newspaper tribute
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why do you think she posted that video before climbing? It seems like she was aware of something.
She was aware. Listen to what she said—she acknowledged the uncertainty. But awareness and prevention aren't the same thing. People climb mountains knowing the risk. The video suggests she was trying to hold both feelings at once: joy and doubt.
The group didn't register. That's a failure on their part, or a failure of the system?
Both, probably. Conaf requires registration for a reason—so they know who's on the mountain and where. But registration is only useful if people comply. The group didn't. That's a choice with consequences.
The weather delayed the rescue by a full day. Does that change anything about what happened?
It changes the timeline, not the outcome. She was already gone when the storm hit. But it meant her family couldn't retrieve her immediately. That's its own kind of cruelty—the mountain taking her twice.
She was forty-two, working at a school, known as responsible. This wasn't recklessness, was it?
No. Responsible people take risks too. They just usually calculate them differently. The question is whether she knew what she didn't know—about the weather, about the group's preparedness, about the mountain that day.