How They Survived 72 Days In The Andes: The 1972 Uruguay Plane Crash

<p>On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team, relatives, and friends crashed high in the Andes while travelling to Chile. There were 45 people aboard. Those who survived the impact faced freezing temperatures, serious injuries, and almost no food, then an avalanche buried their makeshift shelter inside the wreckage, killing eight more.</p><p>With rescue no longer coming and their supplies exhausted, the survivors made an agonising decision: to eat the bodies of those who had died. They sheltered in the broken fuselage and relied on one another while two of the men, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, eventually trekked across the mountains for ten days to find help.</p><p>Their journey led rescuers back to the wreckage. On December 22 and 23, the remaining survivors were airlifted to safety, ending an ordeal lasting 72 days. Sixteen people returned alive, a story of devastating loss, impossible choices, and extraordinary determination to survive.</p>