The Andes Plane crash: Cannibalism for Survival
On October 12, 1972, a bunch of schoolmates boarded a charted airforce plane for a rugby tour. Air Force Fight 571 flying from Uruguay to Chile. Nando Parrado(One of the survivor) also called his mother and sister to accompany him to his Rugby match but what they didn't know was the disaster coming straight at them.
and there were 40 passengers on that flight. After they took off from the Uruguayan Capital they soon ran into a storm due to which they have to stop in Argentina. On the very next day, they decided to continue the flight but they never reached their destination.
The Pilots made a fatal miscalculation as they taught they have passed the highest peak of the Andes but they were on the wrong side of the mountain range. The clouds hid the peaks and then it happened. The Plane hit one of the peaks and destroyed its tail and wings in the impact. In the impact, 12 people died and only 33 left. Nando hit his head and went into a coma for few days.
They were unaware that they have to stay there for more than 2 months, 72 days to be exact and for supplies, they have only one bottle of Rum and 2 boxes of chocolate. The very next day was a clear day with no clouds in the sky. They tried to signal SOS to planes going over them but none responded. After a few days, Nando woke up from his coma because his friends thought he was dead and kept him in the snow with other dead people. The snow kept his brain from swelling and saved him but as he woke up he found out that his mother is dead and his sister injured critically.
They found a camera and a radio from the wreckage and on day 10, they found out that their search had been called off. so now they were up 13000-14000 feet above sea level with no food, no help, no rescue and with temperatures going down to -35 degree Fahrenheit. So they were cold and facing starvation.
That was when Nando said to his friend(Carlito) that he would eat the Pilot. Now they were surviving eating the dead ones but that was not all. On day 18, they were hit by an avalanche. In the avalanche, 27 people got buried out of which 19 were saved. But as the weeks passed more died so it was time to take a step to do Something.
On December 12, 2 months (60 days) after the crash they decided to move. They had no prior mountain climbing experience, no mountain climbing gear, food just human remains in rugby socks. It took them 3 days to climb the first mountain and when they climbed the first mountain they realized that they are surrounded by the peaks of the Andes.
Finally, on day 72 they reached the bank of a river. that was the time they realized that they can survive. They found a Chilean farmer named Sergio who threw a paper and a pen wrapped around a rock across the river, the farmer also threw 4 pieces of bread. Nando wrote the message of their crash and the survivors and threw it back to the farmer. And with his help, they were able to save the remaining 16 people who were alive at the time.
The following days were horrible for them as they were said to have cannibalised the dead people to which Nando said in a recent interview that " All the people who say I would not have done that, You were not there If you were then you would have done the same".
There is a full movie on this incident named Alive
if You want to watch the 2-hour movie then -> Download(its Dual audio Hindi-English)
So, What Would You have done in this situation?
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