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The boarding
A Uruguayan rugby team boards a plane to play a match in Chile. Halfway there, harsh mountain weather forced them to stay the night in Argentina. -
The decision
When the weather refused to improve, the pilot decided to change route and fly over the Andes mountains instead. They underestimated the headwinds, and the plane went down. -
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The immediate aftermath
Of the 45 on the plane, 18 died in the crash or soon after. The remaining 27 lacked supplies, and many were injured. After 11 days, it became brutally clear than no one would save them. -
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The cannibalistic desperation
Running out of food, the team made the difficult decision of resorting to their dead teammates for nutrients. The first one eaten was the pilot. not all people participated in the cannibalism at first, but most realized the necessity. -
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The hikes
Three of the now 16 survivors began to search for civilization. After 3 days, they began to see that there was a way out of the mountains. One of the hikers was sent to the campsite to save food consumption. On the ninth day, they set up a bonfire and saw a horse rider who they asked for help. They returned to the camp to alert the others that help was coming. -
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Rescue and aftermath
All 16 survivors were rescued, but not without consequences. Many people saw them as evil for eating their companions, and they were not calmed until the pope announced that their actions were not a sin due to the circumstances. Many of the survivors lived on to write wildly successful books of their experiences.