It is one of the most incredible stories of survival in history. In October 1972, a plane carrying 45 passengers, mostly members of a Uruguayan rugby team, crashed into the Andes mountains, leaving them stranded in the cold, with no food, no communication, and no hope of rescue. To stay alive, they had to resort to eating the flesh of their dead friends and relatives.
The ordeal began on October 12, 1972, when the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 took off from Montevideo, Uruguay, bound for Santiago, Chile. The plane was a Fairchild FH-227D, chartered by the Old Christians Club rugby team, who were traveling to play an exhibition match. Along with the 19 players, there were also their family members, supporters, and friends on board, as well as five crew members.
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The flight was supposed to be a short one, about two hours, but it encountered bad weather and turbulence over the Andes. The inexperienced co-pilot, who was flying the plane, mistook his location and turned too early, thinking he had already cleared the mountains. He was wrong. The plane crashed into a mountain ridge, shearing off both wings and the tail section. The remaining fuselage slid down a glacier at high speed, before coming to a stop on a snow-covered valley.
The impact killed seven passengers instantly, and four more died shortly after. The survivors were faced with a grim situation: they had no radio, no heat, no medical supplies, and very little food. They also had no idea where they were, or if anyone was looking for them. They were trapped at an altitude of 3,570 meters (11,710 feet), surrounded by peaks that reached over 4,500 meters (14,800 feet).
The survivors tried to stay optimistic, hoping that they would be rescued soon. They used pieces of metal and luggage to make a shelter inside the fuselage, and rationed the meager food they had: a few chocolate bars, biscuits, wine, and cheese. They also melted snow for water, using a small transistor radio battery and a piece of metal. They prayed, sang, and played games to keep their spirits up.
But as the days passed, their situation became more desperate. The search and rescue efforts were hampered by the bad weather and the remote location. The white plane was almost invisible against the snow, and the survivors had no way of signaling their presence. After eight days, the search was called off, and the survivors heard the news on their radio: they were presumed dead.
The survivors were devastated, but they refused to give up. They knew they had to find a way out, or they would die. They decided to send an expedition to look for help, but they faced many obstacles: the harsh terrain, the lack of equipment, the risk of avalanches, and the extreme cold. They also had another problem: they were starving.
The food they had was gone, and there was no sign of any animals or plants in the barren landscape. They had to make a terrible choice: to eat the bodies of their dead comrades or to die of hunger. After much debate and anguish, they decided to do the unthinkable. They rationalized that it was a form of sacrifice and that their friends would have wanted them to survive. They cut pieces of flesh from the corpses and ate them raw or cooked them over a fire. They also drank their blood and used their bones and skin to make utensils and clothing.
The cannibalism was a traumatic and horrifying experience, but it saved their lives. It gave them the strength and the courage to endure the unimaginable. For the next two months, they faced many hardships and dangers, including an avalanche that buried the fuselage and killed eight more people, a severe infection that almost killed one of the survivors, and a constant threat of death from exposure, dehydration, or illness.
Finally, on December 12, two of the survivors, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, decided to attempt the impossible: to climb over the mountains and find help. They had no map, no compass, no proper clothing, and no mountaineering skills. They only had a sleeping bag, some sunglasses, and a small amount of food. They set off, leaving behind 14 of their friends, who prayed for their success.
Parrado and Canessa faced a grueling journey, walking for 10 days across the frozen wilderness, climbing over rocks, snow, and ice, and crossing rivers and valleys. They endured hunger, thirst, pain, and exhaustion, but they never gave up. On December 21, they reached the western edge of the mountains and saw a green valley below. They had made it to Chile.
They encountered a Chilean shepherd, who gave them food and shelter and alerted the authorities. The next day, a helicopter arrived and picked up Parrado and Canessa. They told the pilot about the crash site and the other survivors. The pilot flew back to the valley and spotted the fuselage. He saw the survivors waving a makeshift flag and landed near them. He was shocked to see their condition and to learn about their ordeal. He hugged them and told them they were saved.
The rescue operation was complicated by the weather and the terrain, and it took two more days to evacuate all the survivors. On December 23, the last of the 16 survivors was airlifted to safety, 72 days after the crash.
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SAM is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the field. His writing style is characterized by a focus on current events, in-depth research, and a commitment to journalistic integrity. In addition to writing, SAM is an avid traveler and enjoys exploring new cultures. He has visited over 20 countries and has used his experiences to inform his writing. When he’s not writing or traveling, SAM enjoys spending time with his family and playing tennis.