Rain that fell Saturday is believed to have helped in uncovering bodies hidden in the snow, said Los Angeles regiment commander Colonel Patricio Espinoza.

The dead include one sergeant and 37 conscripts.

Nearly 400 soldiers were involved in the failed maneuver in which blizzards hit on May 18 while the men marched along a 25-kilometer (15-mile) path linking two shelters near Antuco, east of the army base at Los Angeles, which is located 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of Santiago.

The group fell into difficulty in the heavy snow, and were separated to tragic consequences.

The victims of the "Tragedy of Antuco," as it is being called here, were young conscripted soldiers, reviving a debate here over mandatory military service.

Some 326 soldiers survived Chile's worst peacetime military tragedy.

Two regiment leaders, Colonel Roberto Mercado and Lieutenant Luis Pineda, have been fired.

With military prosecutors weighing charges, they face possible involuntary manslaughter charges and up to 10 years in prison.