A 14-year-old boy has been found dead after he attempted to climb a volcano without a guide or thermal clothing.
Paolo Sánchez Carrasco was discovered by a rescue team on Saturday (19 July) after a missing alert was issued three days earlier (Thursday 17 July).
He is believed to have died of hypothermia at around 4,780 metres (15,682 ft) above sea level.
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Before his death, he posted a selfie video to social media, saying: “Turns out it drops to minus two degrees at night up here.
“And what sucks is, well, I’m gonna freeze my a*se off. I didn’t even bring a sleeping bag, and I’m really far from the shelter.
“The next one’s way over there, but it’s on the other side of the mountain.”
A woman named Angela said she had been trekking up the same volcano at the same time as Paolo.
She wrote: “Just as we were reaching the second pass, the storm hit. We had to camp beside a rock wall.
“Unfortunately, we were soaked and had no choice but to take shelter in our tent – that’s what stopped us from going any further.”
Paolo was reportedly fond of camping and heading into the mountains.
He is believed to have travelled from Mexico City to Iztaccíhuatl, a dormant volcanic mountain in Mexico located on the border between the State of Mexico and Puebla within Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park, on 12 July.
The journey is around 90 minutes by car and it is unclear how he got there.
Iztaccíhuatl is Mexico’s third-highest peak at 5,213 metres and is considered a technically challenging climb.
The routes up the mountain involve loose rocks, steep slopes, and areas of ice and snow, as reported by Need To Know.
Conditions can change rapidly – even in relatively favourable months like July – with freezing temperatures, strong winds, and sudden drops in visibility due to clouds or fog.
Mountaineering experts and guides recommend climbing Iztaccíhuatl only with proper equipment, including multiple layers of thermal clothing, specialist boots, gloves, hats, navigation tools, and, in many areas, crampons and an ice axe.
They also stress the importance of acclimatising to the altitude and climbing with experienced guides.
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