On the 12th of October in 1972, a small chartered aircraft embarked on its journey from Uruguay in South America with a destination set for Santiago, the capital of Chile. The aircraft carried a group of robust rugby players, along with a total of 45 passengers, including some family and friends of the players. Typically, the flight from Uruguay to Santiago is a brief three-hour journey. However, this route traverses the colossal Andes Mountains, the world’s longest mountain range, second in height only to the Himalayas. These magnificent mountains would play a tragic role in our story.
On that fateful day, the 12th of October, a storm loomed over the mountains, causing the aircraft to abandon its course. The pilots made a difficult decision to land midway, planning to resume the journey the following day. They touched down in Mendoza, Argentina, for the night. The sun rose on the 13th of October, and the plane took to the skies again at 2:18 p.m., this time with improved weather conditions.
For about an hour, the flight was uneventful. However, at 3:21 p.m., while descending through the mountainous terrain close to Santiago, the plane encountered severe turbulence, shaking horizontally. The aircraft became enveloped in clouds, obscuring all visibility. Alarms blared and warning lights flashed, puzzling passengers and crew alike. The rugby players in the passenger seats initially brushed off the turbulence with jokes, but one passenger looking out of the window noticed that they were dangerously close to a mountain.
As the plane emerged from the clouds, the pilots recognized the imminent collision with a massive rock. Panic ensued as they desperately tried to gain altitude, but it was too late. The plane’s rear collided with the mountain as it ascended, causing the entire rear section of the plane to break away, including two rows of seats. Three passengers were ejected and disappeared. For a few moments, the front section of the plane continued to climb, but it soon began its descent.
A secondary collision occurred shortly after when the left wing of the plane broke, ejecting more passengers. Only the front portion of the plane remained, and it crash-landed on a glacier, sliding at a speed of 350 km/h before finally crashing after falling 700 meters. The plane was utterly destroyed, with passenger seats torn from the base and the cockpit completely crushed, killing the pilots instantly. The wreckage lay on an unknown mountain in the Andes at an elevation of 3,570 meters.
Remarkably, out of the 45 people on board, 33 survived the crash, though many were injured, and their location was uncertain. It was later discovered that the plane had deviated 80 km from its planned route, and this marked the beginning of a harrowing tale of survival. At that moment, neither the survivors nor you, my dear audience, could fathom what awaited them next. This is the heart-wrenching account of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571.
Soon after the crash, hope was dwindling for the 45 souls on board as they were initially declared lost. However, their story of survival, known as the “Miracle of the Andes,” was just beginning.
Following the crash, two survivors, 19-year-old Roberto Canessa and 20-year-old Gustavo Zerbino, who happened to be medical students, took it upon themselves to assess the condition of the passengers and tend to the wounded. They found that many had sustained severe injuries, including 23-year-old Fernando Parrado, who was in a coma due to a skull fracture.
Simultaneously, within an hour of the plane’s disappearance, the Chilean Air Search and Rescue Service initiated a search operation using four aircraft. Their attempts to locate the crash site proved fruitless, as the aircraft was white against the backdrop of the snow-covered mountains, making it nearly impossible to spot.
As night fell on the 13th of October, the remaining survivors clung to the hope that if they could endure the cold for one night, someone would find them the next day. Unfortunately, five injured passengers succumbed to the elements, reducing the count of survivors from 33 to 28. The survivors used what remained of the plane’s wreckage as shelter, fashioning a barrier from luggage, seats, and snow to shield themselves from the cold.
On the 14th of October, a search operation involving 11 different aircraft from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay scoured the area. Miraculously, they were in the right vicinity, but still, the crash site eluded discovery. Frustrated by the fruitless search, the survivors resorted to using lipstick to write “SOS” on the plane’s roof, though they quickly ran out of the precious lipstick.
In a desperate attempt to signal the search aircraft, they tried using suitcases to create a large cross in the snow, but this, too, proved ineffective. On that day, they spotted three different aircraft passing overhead, and they frantically waved and screamed in an attempt to catch their attention. Tragically, their efforts went unnoticed.
Another day passed, and on the 15th of October, the survivors realized their urgent need for water. Fito Strauch, one of the passengers, ingeniously used a metal sheet as a solar collector to gather water to sustain their dwindling hope and strength.
In an effort to harness the sun’s rays and melt the snow, they concentrated sunlight on the snow surface. They ingeniously collected water droplets in empty wine bottles. Additionally, many passengers resorted to using seat cushions as makeshift snowshoes, and the wool from seat covers served as insulation from the frigid cold.
Moving forward to the 16th of October, three days following the crash, Fernando Parrado, who had been in a coma, regained consciousness. To his sorrow, he discovered that his mother had perished in the crash, and his 19-year-old sister lay severely injured. Parrado made every effort to sustain his sister, providing her with food and water. However, as days passed, his sister succumbed to her injuries, marking a heartbreaking loss.
It’s crucial to recognize that most of the passengers hailed from coastal areas and had never encountered snow before. Now, they were thrust into a perilous situation, battling extreme cold at -30°C, high altitude, and facing a severe scarcity of food and water. Amid these harsh conditions, they also grappled with snow blindness, a condition caused by the reflection of ultraviolet rays from the snow and ice, which can harm the eyes.
On the 21st of October, eight days post-crash, search and rescue teams reluctantly abandoned their mission. They believed that after a prolonged search without any signs of survivors, the prospects of anyone being alive were slim. Consequently, after 142 hours of searching, the operation was officially terminated.
However, the survivors discovered a transistor radio within the aircraft’s seats. One of the survivors, Roy Harley, who was a rugby player and an electronics enthusiast, made extensive efforts to operate the radio. With makeshift improvements to the antenna, they managed to make the radio function. It could only receive transmissions, providing the survivors with information but no means of sending messages. It was not until the 11th day after the crash that they learned of the search operation’s discontinuation, leading to profound disappointment and emotional responses among the survivors.
Fernando Parrado, however, remained notably composed, for he was contemplating an alternative plan. By the 11th day, their meager food supply was dwindling, with only eight chocolate bars, a tin of mussels, a few jars of jam, almonds, peanuts, dates, candies, dried plums, and a few bottles of wine. Rationing was initiated, with individuals consuming minimal portions each day. Parrado, at one point, survived on a single chocolate-covered peanut for three days. Yet, rationing could only stave off hunger for so long, and the food was nearly depleted.
At an altitude of 3,800 meters, there were no trees, vegetation, or animals to sustain them. On the 11th day, with no alternative but to starve, the survivors made a gut-wrenching decision to consume the deceased bodies of their fellow passengers. This choice was agonizing, considering that many of the victims were friends, family members, or loved ones.
Canessa initially proposed this desperate measure and was the first to partake in it. Although some initially resisted, two days later, with no other recourse, others also resorted to this survival tactic. On the 29th of October, 16 days after the crash, their newfound source of sustenance was rapidly depleting, and they faced an insurmountable dilemma.
That night, their dire circumstances took a catastrophic turn when an avalanche roared down from the mountains, filling the fractured plane with snow and causing eight individuals to be buried and suffocated. Only 19 survivors endured this calamity, their resilience and will to survive tested to the limits.
Within an hour, Vizintin successfully returned to the crash site, a journey that had taken them three days to climb. Meanwhile, Parrado and Canessa continued their ascent of the mountain. After three hours of strenuous climbing, they reached the mountain’s summit, only to be met by an expansive, snow-covered landscape in every direction.
Their surroundings were nothing but a sea of snowy peaks, a sight that left them in shock and despair. With great effort, Parrado attempted to find something, anything, to give them hope. In the far western horizon, they spotted two mountain peaks devoid of snow, leading them to conclude that they should proceed in that direction. Giving up was not an option for them.
Determined, Parrado and Canessa pressed on for several more days, eventually descending into a valley where they encountered a river. Reaching the river was a welcome relief, as it provided an easier path for their journey. They walked alongside the river for nine days, eventually making a remarkable discovery: signs of human presence. In the fields, they spotted cows and knew they were approaching civilization, but exhaustion was taking its toll.
It was at this point, on the other side of the river, that they spotted three men on horses. With great excitement, Parrado tried to shout to them, but the roaring river drowned out his voice. Fortunately, one of the men noticed them and signaled that he would return the next day. True to his word, the man came back on horseback, equipped with paper and pencils attached to a stone with a thread. For the first time, Parrado had a chance to send a message to the outside world. In Spanish, he wrote about their plane crash, their origin in Uruguay, their ten days of walking, and their urgent need for help. They were weak, hungry, and unable to continue their journey.
The person who received this message was a Chilean farmer named Sergio Catalan. He read the note and conveyed through gestures that he understood the dire situation. He consulted with his friends, who faintly remembered news about a plane crash a few months ago, which left them astounded. They couldn’t fathom the survival of a two-month-old plane crash. Sergio tossed a piece of bread across the river, initiating a 10-hour journey on horseback towards the nearest city. They were still a considerable distance from any village or human settlement.
Upon reaching the nearest city, the army command was informed of the situation, and they subsequently contacted the army headquarters in Santiago. The farmers brought Parrado and Canessa to Los Maitenes on horseback, where they could finally find rest. Astonishingly, they had covered a distance of 61 kilometers on foot over the last 10 days, and Canessa had lost half of his body weight, weighing only 44 kilograms at that point.
As news of their incredible story spread, it captured international attention. The Chilean Air Force dispatched three helicopters for an immediate rescue mission. Army officers interviewed Parrado and Canessa to gather information about their location. Parrado had brought the pilot’s flight chart with him and had marked the places they had traveled. With Parrado’s assistance, the army commanders were able to pinpoint the location of the remaining survivors.
On the 22nd of December, 1972, a remarkable 70 days after the crash, two search and rescue helicopters finally reached the survivors, saving their lives. In total, 16 survivors were rescued, despite their terrible physical condition, marked by altitude sickness, dehydration, broken bones, and severe malnutrition. This story serves as a powerful lesson in the enduring nature of hope, demonstrating that with determination, patience, and compassion, the seemingly impossible can be achieved. As the saying goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” That’s why this disaster is also known as the “Miracle of the Andes.”
