British woman killed in snowstorm in Chile ‘made everything brighter’

A British woman who was killed in a freak snowstorm in Chilean Patagonia was “a star”, her friend has said.

Victoria Bond was among five people found dead on Tuesday in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile.

The holidaymaker, a public relations consultant from Cornwall, was hiking with friends in Argentina and Chile when the storm hit.

Adam Walker, a friend of Ms Bond’s, described her death as “utterly heartbreaking”.

Mr Walker, who runs the Walking Cornwall Facebook page and worked with the PR consultant, said: “Victoria was one of those rare people who made everything brighter just by being there.

“Kind, passionate and full of warmth, she was a little bundle of infectious energy and you couldn’t help but be lifted by her presence.

“Working with her was always such a pleasure, she was talented, enthusiastic and genuinely lovely to be around.

“She became so familiar so quickly that she never felt like just someone we worked with; she felt much more like a friend.”

Mr Walker said Ms Bond had a “cheeky, effortless charm” which “made everyone feel at ease”.

He recalled having an “incredible amount of fun” working with her promoting a local festival and pub quiz.

Mr Walker continued: “It’s no surprise she was befriended by so many but loved by all.

“Her passing is utterly heartbreaking.

“It’s hard to comprehend that someone so vibrant is no longer with us.

“My thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues, who I know meant the world to her and who loved her so deeply.

“She touched so many of us in ways we’ll never forget. She truly was a star.”

A spokesperson for Visit Isles of Scilly, where Ms Bond worked, said the organisation was “deeply saddened”.

In a tribute, the firm said: “She will be missed beyond words and we are only now just starting to process her untimely passing.”

Along with Ms Bond, two German and two Mexican citizens died in the snowstorm, according to Jose Antonio Ruiz, the presidential delegate of the Magallanes of southern Chile.