The 1972 Andes Flight Disaster

  • The Uruguayan Rugby team boards the plane

    The rugby team boards the plane to fly to a match in santiago, chile.
  • The plane crash

    The plane crashing on the mountain due to confusion and very bad conditions. 12 died in the crash.
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    Mountain Time

    The time the rugby team was stuck on the mountain.
  • The next morning,

    Many had been badly injured and by this time 5 more had died.
  • 8th day

    Yet another dies and the initial search party stops their efforts. Food is being rationed amongst the team and they devise ways to get water.
  • 11th day

    The rugby team discovers a radio on the plane and realizes that the search has been called off. Gustavo Nicolich rallies the rugby team and restores hope among the survivors.
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    The search for escape.

    Cannibalism begins amongst the team, devouring the corpses of those who had died. They have run out of rations and are searching for a way to escape. Many were initially opposed to cannibalism but as time went on and supplies ran out they realized it was necessary.
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    The hikes.

    Three of the remaining 16 survivors begin a long hike to search for civilization. After many days of hiking they slowly stumble across more signs of life and eventually a group of horseback riders. After the survivors give a brief explanation of their situation the horseback riders promise to send for help the following day.
  • The evacuation.

    Two helicopters arrived at the site of the plane crash and escorted the 16 remaining survivors to hospitals where they were then treated for injuries such as broken bones, scurvy, altitude sickness, dehydration, frostbite and malnutrition.
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    The aftermath.

    After they had been rescued many of them were being prosecuted or questioned about the cannibalism and what had occurred during the 72 days they were stranded. After many legal battles the catholic church ultimately declared their actions to not be sinful.
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    The afteraftermath

    After the legal battles had died down multiple of the survivors had written memoirs and books based on their stories on the mountain. In 1993 a director known as frank marshall wrote a movie based upon the 1972 Andes flight disaster.