BUENOS AIRES – The Cristo Redentor tunnel, the main trans-Andean route linking Argentina and Chile, was closed Tuesday because of a snowstorm, stranding more than 800 trucks, officials said.

A storm that rolled in off the Pacific Ocean has affected the Andes Mountains, Argentine national highway administration spokesman Ernesto Arriaga said.

“More than 800 trucks remain parked outside the camp in the Argentine city of Uspallata,” Arriaga said.

Truckers should consider alternative routes, such as the border crossings in Neuquen and Jujuy provinces, the national highway administration spokesman said.

Cristo Redentor, which links Santiago, Chile, to the western Argentine city of Mendoza, is the main cargo route between the South American nations, with an average of nearly 900 trucks passing through each day.

The flow of traffic through Cristo Redentor is often affected in the Southern Hemisphere winter by powerful storms in the Andes that can strand hundreds of vehicles in freezing temperatures. EFE