[35] On 23 December, news reports of cannibalism were published worldwide, except in Uruguay. The last eight survivors of the Uruguayan Air Force plane crash in the Andes in South America, huddle together in the craft's fuselage on their final night before rescue on Dec. 22, 1972.. [32][26], When the news broke out that people had survived the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, the story of the passengers' survival after 72 days drew international attention. When Canessa reached the top and saw nothing but snow-capped mountains for kilometres around them, his first thought was, "We're dead. In a corner, survivors wept when officials unveiled a commemorative frame with pictures of those who died. The film explores the true story of the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes in 1972. Alive! We were absolutely angry. Eventually spotted by a peasant farmer in the Chilean foothills they reached help and returned via helicopter to rescue the rest of those waiting to die in the mountains. Rumors circulated in Montevideo immediately after the rescue that the survivors had killed some of the others for food. In 1972, Canessa was a 19-year-old medical student accompanying his rugby team on a trip from Uruguay to attend a match in nearby Chile. The story of the 16 survivors of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which was chartered to take an amateur rugby team from Montevideo to Santiago, Chile, in 1972 was immortalized in the best-selling book, Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read. The tail was missingcut away from the rest of the fuselage by. The Uruguayan air force plane that carried the team crashed in a mountain pass in October 1972 en route from Montevideo to Santiago. Parrado gave a similar shoe to his friends at the crash site before he left for the cordillera and guided rescuers back. One helicopter remained behind in reserve. Survivors of a plane crash were forced to eat their dead friends in a harrowing story that sounds too unbelievable to be true. Eduardo Strauch survived the 1972 Andes plane crash of the Uruguayan rugby team. Paez said he has made a career of traveling the world to lecture about his ordeal in the mountains. Two of the rugby player on board, Gustavo Zerbino and Roberto Canessa, were medical students in Uruguay. For a long time, we agonized. [17] Based on the aircraft's altimeter, they thought they were at 7,000 feet (2,100m), when they were actually at about 11,800 feet (3,597m). Parrado was one of 45 rugby players, family, friends and crew making a routine flight across the Andes from Uruguay to Chile. Please, we cannot even walk. The avalanche completely buried the fuselage and filled the interior to within 1 metre (3ft 3in) of the roof. STRAUCH: Absolutely devastating - so we felt abandoned, and we felt so angry with everybody, with - even with our families, with the world, with God, with nature, with everything. None of the passengers with compound fractures survived. [15], They continued east the next morning. Carlos Pez, 58, waved a small red shoe at a helicopter carrying Parrado, as he did when the Chilean air force rescued him and the others. We have to melt snow. [17] Since the plane crash, Canessa had lost almost half of his body weight, about 44 kilograms (97lb). The aircraft was 80km (50mi) east of its planned route. F1 qualifying: Leclerc leads Verstappen, Mercedes into epic pole shootout LIVE! He says reintegrating himself back into society was hard. He used a stick from his pack to carve steps in the wall. I went out in the snow and prayed to God for guidance. They also realized that unless they found a way to survive the freezing temperature of the nights, a trek was impossible. At Planchn Pass, the aircraft still had to travel 6070km (3743mi) to reach Curic. [21], All of the passengers were Roman Catholic. The inexperienced co-pilot, Lieutenant-Colonel Dante Hctor Lagurara, was at the controls when the accident occurred. [17] On 21 October, after searching a total of 142 hours and 30 minutes, the searchers concluded that there was no hope and terminated the search. "Since then I have enjoyed fully, carefully but without fear. [3], As the aircraft descended, severe turbulence tossed the aircraft up and down. I am Uruguayan. Thinking of the suffering that must have caused our families at home made us even more determined to survive, said Sabella. ', Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Photo by EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP via Getty Images. [26], Parrado wore three pairs of jeans and three sweaters over a polo shirt. Father of 4 killed, 12 injured as car crashes into Califor Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, I'm a professional cleaner ditch these 4 household products immediately, Shoeless Ariana Madix awkwardly tries to avoid cheating Tom Sandoval, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Prince Harry says psychedelics are fundamental part of his life, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant allegedly flashes gun at a strip club, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Tom Sandoval, Raquel Leviss planned to tell Ariana Madix about affair. STRAUCH: My body and my mind start expanding in the universe. On 26 December, two pictures taken by members of Cuerpo de Socorro Andino (Andean Relief Corps) of a half-eaten human leg were printed on the front page of two Chilean newspapers, El Mercurio and La Tercera de la Hora,[2] who reported that all survivors resorted to cannibalism. ", Uruguayan rugby team, who were forced to eat human flesh to stay alive after plane went down, play match postponed in 1972, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Former members of the Old Christians rugby team hold a minute's silence after unveiling a plaque in memory of those who died. It was very difficult because the weather was very cold. harrowing tale of survivors of an airplane crash. Im condemned to tell this story for evermore, just like the Beatles always having to sing Yesterday. [2] Club president Daniel Juan chartered a Uruguayan Air Force twin turboprop Fairchild FH-227D to fly the team over the Andes to Santiago. For three days, the remaining survivors were trapped in the extremely cramped space within the buried fuselage with about 1 metre (3ft 3in) headroom, together with the corpses of those who had died in the avalanche. This decision was not taken lightly, as most of the dead were classmates, close friends, or relatives. The plane crashed into the Andes mountains on Friday 13 October 1972. [13], The official investigation concluded that the crash was caused by controlled flight into terrain due to pilot error. As a result, they brought only a three-day supply of meat. But this story has endured, and at the time, in the early 70s, became controversial, because of what happened next. They believed that had they known before they left the stricken plane the near impossibility of the journey ahead, they would never have left. 'Alive': Uruguay plane crash survivors savour life 50 years on On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying an amateur Uruguayan rugby team, along with relatives and supporters, to an away match in Chile crashed in the Andes with 45 people on board. [2] The search area included their location and a few aircraft flew near the crash site. Only much later did Canessa learn that the road he saw to the east would have gotten them to rescue sooner and easier.[29][30]. The news of the missing flight reached Uruguayan media about 6:00p.m. that evening. Consequently, the survivors had to sustain life with rations found in the wreckage after the plane had crashed. While others encouraged Parrado, none would volunteer to go with him. Canessa, Parrado, and Vizintn were among the strongest boys and were allocated larger rations of food and the warmest clothes. Accuracy and availability may vary. Piers Paul Read's book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors described the moments after this discovery: The others who had clustered around Roy, upon hearing the news, began to sob and pray, all except [Nando] Parrado, who looked calmly up at the mountains which rose to the west. "Yes, totally natural. "If I had been told: 'I'm going to leave you in a mountain 4,000m high, 20C below zero (-4F) in shirtsleeves,' I would have said: I last 10 minutes.' The conditions were such that the pair could not reach him, but from afar they heard him say one word: "Tomorrow". STRAUCH: Yeah. With the warmth of three bodies trapped by the insulating cloth, we might be able to weather the coldest nights. As they flew through the Andes, clouds obscured the mountains. On Friday, the 13th of October, 1972, a charter plane carrying 45 passengers, including a college rugby team, vanished over the desolate, snow-covered Andes Mountains. The wreck was located at an elevation of 3,570 metres (11,710ft) in the remote Andes of far western Argentina, just east of the border with Chile. Cundo nos van a buscar arriba? [26], Parrado and Canessa took three hours to climb to the summit. "Out Of The Silence: After The Crash" is a story of endurance and the spiritual awakening that came after 72 days trapped in the Andes. Authorities flew over the crash site several times during the following days, searching for the aircraft, but could not see the white fuselage against the snow. Four members of the search and rescue team volunteered to stay with the seven survivors remaining on the mountain. 'Hey boys,' he shouted, 'there's some good news! They carried the remaining survivors to hospitals in Santiago for evaluation. Tenemos que salir rpido de aqu y no sabemos cmo. With Hugo Stiglitz, Norma Lazareno, Luz Mara Aguilar, Fernando Larraaga. Lagurara failed to notice that instrument readings indicated he was still 6070km (3743mi) from Curic. Desperate after more than two months in the mountains, Canessa and Fernando Parrado left the crash site to seek help. It doesn't taste anything. Uruguayan Air Force flight 571, also called Miracle of the Andes or Spanish El Milagro de los Andes, flight of an airplane charted by a Uruguayan amateur rugby team that crashed in the Andes Mountains in Argentina on October 13, 1972, the wreckage of which was not located for more than two months. Where are we? Canessa, who had become a doctor, and other survivors raised funds to pay for a hip replacement operation. His mother died instantly, followed by his sister, cradled in his arms a week later. [26], It was now apparent that the only way out was to climb over the mountains to the west. [2] He asked one of the passengers to find his pistol and shoot him, but the passenger declined. On this flight he was training co-pilot Lagurara, who was at the controls. The 10th, and everything behind him had disappeared into oblivion on the other side of the mountain. [English: The world to its Uruguayan brothersClose, oh God, to you], They doused the remains of the fuselage in gasoline and set it alight. Given the cloud cover, the pilots were flying under instrument meteorological conditions at an altitude of 18,000 feet (5,500m) (FL180), and could not visually confirm their location. [47] The trip to the location takes three days. Parrado now sees those who died and gave up their bodies for food as the very first "consent donors", like modern organ donors enabling others to live. He mistakenly believed the aircraft had reached Curic, where the flight would turn to descend into Pudahuel Airport. [16], Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino, both medical students, acted quickly to assess the severity of people's wounds and treat those they could help most. It had its wings ripped off on impact, leading to the immediate death of 12 passengers and crew. He has made them human. Seventeen. On average,. On the return trip, they were struck by a blizzard. They now used their training to help the injured passengers. [47], In March 2006, the families of those aboard the flight had a black obelisk monument built at the crash site memorializing those who lived and died.[48]. The survivors who had found the rear of the fuselage came up with an idea to use insulation from the rear of the fuselage, copper wire, and waterproof fabric that covered the air conditioning of the plane to fashion a sleeping bag.[18][17]. At sunset, while sipping cognac that they had found in the tail section, Parrado said, "Roberto, can you imagine how beautiful this would be if we were not dead men? But the hard part was not over for Eduardo Strauch. Among those survivors was a young architect named Eduardo Strauch, who held off writing about the tragedy until now. Uruguayan Flight 571 was set to take a team of amateur rugby players and. Witness accounts and evidence at the scene indicated the plane struck the mountain either two or three times. When the supply of flesh was diminished, they also ate hearts, lungs and even brains. But very fast, very quick, we realized that the only way to get out would be by doing it by ourselves. They dug a grave about .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}400 to 800m (14 to 12mi) from the aircraft fuselage at a site they thought was safe from avalanches. Find the perfect 72 days stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. By anyone, in fact, whose business it is to prepare men for adversity. When they rested that evening they were very tired, and Canessa seemed unable to proceed further. Then, he followed the river to its junction with Ro Tinguiririca, where after crossing a bridge, he was able to reach the narrow route that linked the village of Puente Negro to the holiday resort of Termas del Flaco. On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 went down in the Andes along the Argentine-Chilean border. As he began to descend, the aircraft struck a mountain, shearing off both wings and the tail section. [43], In 1973, mothers of 11 young people who died in the plane crash founded the Our Children Library in Uruguay to promote reading and teaching. During the first night, five more people died: co-pilot Lagurara, Francisco Abal, Graziela Mariani, Felipe Maquirriain, and Julio Martinez-Lamas. [2], Upon being rescued, the survivors initially explained that they had eaten some cheese and other food they had carried with them, and then local plants and herbs. [40] The father of one victim had received word from a survivor that his son wished to be buried at home. On Friday, October 13, in 1972, charter flight 571 took off from Montevideo, Uruguay's capital city, carrying a boisterous team of wealthy college athletes to a rugby match in Chile. We have been walking for 10 days. I get used to. He was in the ninth row of seats. To live at 4,000m without any food," said another survivor, Eduardo Strauch, 65. An Uruguayan air force plane carrying a private college rugby team crashed in a rugged mountain pass while en route from Montevideo to Santiago, Chile, in October 1972. The bodies of our friends and team-mates, preserved outside in the snow and ice, contained vital, life-giving protein that could help us survive. Eduardo Strauch joins me now from Montevideo in Uruguay. A half century after their plane crashed into the Andes, the survivors who resorted to cannibalism to stay alive came together this week in Uruguay to remember their grisly ordeal. [17] The survivors heard on the transistor radio that the Uruguayan Air Force had resumed searching for them. Parrado lost more than seven stones (44kg) along the way, approaching half of his body weight. Canessa used broken glass from the aircraft windshield as a cutting tool. Inside and nearby, they found luggage containing a box of chocolates, three meat patties, a bottle of rum, cigarettes, extra clothes, comic books, and a little medicine. The news of their miraculous survival drew world-wide headlines that grew into a media circus. [16] The remaining 27 faced severe difficulties surviving the nights when temperatures dropped to 30C (22F). On the second day, Canessa thought he saw a road to the east, and tried to persuade Parrado to head in that direction. Once he held those items in his hands, he felt himself transported back to the mountains. And there were already signs that the flight wouldn't be easy. "[12] The aircraft ground collision alarm sounded, alarming all of the passengers. After just a few days, we were feeling the sensation of our own bodies consuming themselves just to remain alive. Given the pilot's dying statement that they were near Curic, they believed that they were near the western edge of the Andes, and that the closest help lay in that direction. The book was published two years after the survivors of the crash were rescued. The Chilean military photographed the bodies and mapped the area. The courage of this one boy prevented a flood of total despair. The other passengers were family and friends of the team, as well as the ve crew . He wanted to write the story as it had happened without embellishment or fictionalizing it. [4], The pilot applied maximum power in an attempt to gain altitude. One of the propellers sliced through the fuselage as the wing it was attached to was severed. We worked as a team, a rugby team, there was never a fight. It was hard to put in your mouth, recalled Sabella, a successful businessman. He compared their actions to that of Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, during which he gave his disciples the Eucharist. After the initial shock of their plane crashing into the Andes mountains on that fateful Friday the 13th of October 1972, Harley and 31 other survivors found themselves in the pitch dark in. [18] All had lived near the sea; some of the team members had never seen snow before, and none had experience at high altitude. GARCIA-NAVARRO: And so two members of the team, dressed in only street clothes, miraculously were able to make it over the mountains and find help. Harley lay down to die, but Parrado would not let him stop and took him back to the fuselage. They couldn't help everyone. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. [17][26], During the trip he saw another arriero on the south side of Ro Azufre, and asked him to reach the men and to bring them to Los Maitenes. It took him years. In 1972, a plane carrying young men from a Uruguayan rugby team, crashed high in the Andes. A paperback which referenced the film Alive: The Miracle of the Andes, was released in 1993. [3] Two more passengers fell out of the open rear of the fuselage. He believes that rugby saved their lives. And we can change the direction of our life if we propose to do it. They were initially so revolted by the experience that they could eat only skin, muscle and fat. I was very young. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. They trekked for over ten days, traveling 61 km (38 miles). Unable to obtain official permission to retrieve his son's body, Ricardo Echavarren mounted an expedition on his own with hired guides. It was Friday the 13th of October in 1972 when an Uruguayan aircraft carrying the Old Christians rugby team and their friends and family went down in the mountains in Argentina, near the border . His presentation of the story at London's Barbican last week was deeply affecting: a 90-minute monologue about staring death in the face, surviving against all odds and spending the next four decades re-evaluating the true meaning of life and love. [3], Of the 45 people on the aircraft, three passengers and two crew members in the tail section were killed when it broke apart: Lt. Ramn Sal Martnez, Orvido Ramrez (plane steward), Gaston Costemalle, Alejo Houni, and Guido Magri. [12][37] The survivors received public backlash initially, but after they explained the pact the survivors had made to sacrifice their flesh if they died to help the others survive, the outcry diminished and the families were more understanding. Director Ren Cardona Writers Charles Blair Jr. (book) Ren Cardona Jr. Stars Pablo Ferrel Hugo Stiglitz [4], On the afternoon of 22 December 1972, the two helicopters carrying search and rescue personnel reached the survivors. They hoped that the valley they were in would make a U-turn and allow them to start walking west to Chile. I realized the power of our minds. "That was probably the moment when the pilots saw the black ridge rising dead ahead. Twenty-nine people initially survived that crash, and their story of struggle in the mountains became the subject of books and movies, most famously "Alive." During the following 72 days, the survivors suffered extreme hardships, including exposure, starvation, and an avalanche, which led to the deaths of thirteen more passengers. The rugby players joked about the turbulence at first, until some passengers saw that the aircraft was very close to the mountain. Condemned to die without any hope we transported the rugby feeling to the cold fuselage at 12,000ft.". The Fairchild turboprop was grounded in the middle of the Cordillera Occidental, a poorly mapped range almost 100 miles wide and home to Aconcagua, at 22,834 feet the . Parrado later said, "It was soft and greasy, streaked with blood and bits of wet gristle. Truly, we were pushing the limits of our fear. It was published by Crown . The back half sheared off at cruising speed sending those at the rear of the plane tumbling to their deaths, and the front portion of the fuselage, minus any wings, shooting forwards like a torpedo over the ridge. He had brought the pilot's flight chart and guided the helicopters up the mountain to the location of the remaining survivors. It was Friday, October 13, 1972, and the Uruguayan Air Force Fairchild F-227 had crashed into a glacial valley high in the Andes. But we got used to it. He had prearranged with the priest who had buried his son to mark the bag containing his son's remains. It was awful and long nights. [3][2], The aircraft continued forward and upward another 200 meters (660ft) for a few more seconds when the left wing struck an outcropping at 4,400 meters (14,400ft), tearing off the wing. [2], The aircraft departed Carrasco International Airport on 12 October 1972, but a storm front over the Andes forced them to stop overnight in Mendoza, Argentina. On the second night of the expedition, which was their first night sleeping outside, they nearly froze to death. The food ran out after a week, and the group tried to eat parts of the airplane, such as the cotton inside the seats and leather. He requested permission from air traffic control to descend. [22][23], Seventeen days after the crash, near midnight on 29 October, an avalanche struck the aircraft containing the survivors as they slept. Then we realized that by folding the quilt in half and stitching the seams together, we could create an insulated sleeping bag large enough for all three expeditionaries to sleep in. The steep terrain only permitted the pilot to touch down with a single skid. And that first night was really impossible to describe. [7][3] The aircraft, FAU 571, was four years old and had 792 airframe hours.
