The Andes Flight Disaster: 72 Days of Survival
When a plane crashed into the Andes, the survivors did the unthinkable to stay alive and walked out of the mountains months later.
WOW Score
A chartered flight carrying a Uruguayan rugby team crashed high in the Andes. Many died instantly; the survivors faced freezing cold, injury, and dwindling food.
After rescue searches were called off, the group made the agonizing decision to sustain themselves with the bodies of the deceased.
Two men trekked for ten days over the mountains and finally reached help, leading rescuers back to the 16 who remained alive.
"Trapped by snow and starvation, they ate the dead to live. Then two of them crossed the mountains on foot to bring rescue."
The 1972 crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 became one of history's most harrowing survival stories, raising enduring questions about the limits of human endurance and the ethics of survival.
The Full Story
The Crash and the Cold
Stranded above 11,000 feet with no gear, the survivors used the fuselage as shelter against lethal nights.
The Unspeakable Choice
With no other food, the group turned to cannibalism as an act of survival a decision that has been debated ever since.
The Walk Out
Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa's crossing of the range became the mission's turning point, bringing the world to the snow.