The Chilean Army on Saturday successfully found and rescued 112 soldiers who had been missing since Wednesday in a snowstorm that has killed 16 of their comrades.

After the rescue, 29 soldiers remain unaccounted for, military officials said.

The rescued soldiers were sent to their base after a medical check. "None of them has medical problems whatsoever," said Army chief General Juan Emilio Cheyre.

The soldiers were caught in a sudden blizzard and went missing on Wednesday in the high Andes near the town of Los Angeles, wherethey were on a training exercise.

Cheyre said earlier on Saturday that chances of finding more survivors were low due to tough weather conditions.

The soldiers, most of them at the age of 19, were part of a battalion of the 17th Regiment of Los Angeles, a town some 500 km south of Santiago.

The tragedy has shocked the country and produced harsh criticism on the Army. Cheyre said the regiment commander and two officers in charge of the soldiers will be sacked.

Source: Xinhua