Of the 16 survivors of the accident, only one has died; he died in 2015, at the age of 80. One of those rescued alive was Eduardo Strauch Urioste, who remembers every moment of what he experienced during 72 days stranded thousands of meters high.
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Euskaraz irakurri: Mende erdi Andeetan hegazkin bat erori zenetik
Today marks 50 years since the fateful day in which a plane crashed into the Andes mountain range, between Argentina and Chile. That October 13, 1972, aircraft 571 of the Uruguayan Air Force crashed into one of the mountains, losing its wings and tail in the collision. The remaining part of the fuselage slid down the mountain until it was stranded on a glacier, at an altitude of 3,570 meters. 45 people were traveling; five crew members, 19 members of the Old Christians Club rugby team, and some family and friends.
In the impact 16 people died, and another 13 were doing the same as a result of the infections of the wounds, the hunger and an avalanche that buried eight people. The remaining 16 managed to survive 72 days enduring freezing temperatures and without food. To move forward, they were forced to eat the flesh of their deceased companions and organized themselves to carry out the necessary tasks to survive, until on December 23 they were rescued.
Eduardo Strauch Urioste was one of the survivors, and he says that the accident was not due to bad weather, as was said at the time, “but it was the result of human error. I am very clear about it.”
Planes from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay searched for the downed aircraft, however, none managed to spot the white fuselage in the snow. Thus, added to the harsh conditions of the mountain, the hopes of the rescue teams to find someone alive began to diminish until eight days after the incident they canceled the search.
During the 72 days stranded on the glacier, knowing that they were no longer looking for them, the survivors had to face various calamities. They improvised sunglasses to prevent snow blindness, used seat covers to protect themselves from the cold, and even devised a system to obtain drinking water by melting snow. However, food was scarce.
After rationing the supplies they had, the food ran out after a week. There was no way to obtain resources on the glacier, so with no other choice, the survivors decided to eat the flesh from the bodies of their dead comrades. One of the survivors, Roberto Canessa, described the moment they decided to turn to anthropophagy: “We felt the sensation that our own bodies were consumed just to stay alive. In a short time, we would become too weak to recover from hunger. We knew the answer, but it was too terrible to contemplate. The bodies of our friends and teammates, preserved outside in the snow and ice, contained vital, life-giving proteins that could help us survive. But could we?
61 days after the accident, on December 12, three of the survivors began an expedition through the mountains to try to find help. After two days of walking, one of them returned to the camp, while the other two continued their search until, on December 20, they met a Chilean muleteer who transmitted the news of the survivors to the Chilean Army for rescue. by helicopter to the others. After 72 days on the glacier, the 16 young people were rescued between December 22 and 23.
Under normal circumstances, the search and rescue team would have recovered the remains of the deceased for burial, however, given the circumstances and at the request of the authorities and the families of the victims, it was decided to bury them near the accident site, in a Common pit.
Survivors:
1. Adolfo Luis Strauch Urioste
2. Alfredo Daniel Delgado Salaberri
3. Alvaro Mangino Schmid
4. Antonio Jose Vizintin Brandi
5. Carlos Paez Rodriguez
6. Daniel Fernandez Strauch
7. Eduardo José Strauch Urioste
8. Fernando Seler Parrado Dolgay
9. Gustavo Zerbino Stajano
10. Javier Alfredo Methol Abal
11. Jose Luis Nicolas Inciarte Vazquez
12. Pedro Algorta
13. Ramon Mario Sabella Barreiro
14. Roberto Fernando Jorge Francois Alvarez
15. Roberto Jorge Canessa Urta
16. Roy Alex Harley Sanchez
Source: Eitb
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.