ANDES plane CRASH survivors CANNIBALISM

In 1972, a group of 45 individuals, including members of Montevideo’s Old Christians Club rugby union team, faced a harrowing ordeal when their chartered flight, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, crashed in the Andes mountain range.

Only 16 young men survived the initial impact, but what followed was a 72-day struggle for survival that pushed them to adopt a strategy most would consider unthinkable – resorting to cannibalism.

How a Wrong Turn Led to a Plane Crash in the Andes

On Friday, October 13, the ill-fated flight carrying the rugby team and others crashed in the snowy mountains, leaving 33 survivors initially. However, the harsh conditions claimed more lives, and rescue efforts were tragically called off after eight days.

With no vegetation or animal life available and meager supplies running out, the survivors faced a grim reality. They had to make an unthinkable decision to stay alive: consume the flesh of their deceased friends.

How the Andes Survivors Overcame Their Moral Scruples to Survive

As the survivors exhausted the limited resources found on the plane, they turned to the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Eduardo Strauch and his two cousins took on the gruesome responsibility of cutting the meat, keeping the source of their sustenance hidden from the others.

The Impact of Desperation

The survivors, driven by necessity, resorted to using a shard of glass to cut flesh. They started with skin and strips of fat before reluctantly turning to muscle and even the brain.

The natural revulsion was overshadowed by the stark reality that this was their only means of survival.

The ordeal took a darker turn when an avalanche buried the plane, forcing survivors trapped with the dead to consume the bodies of their recently deceased friends.

The gruesome act made even the survivors question their humanity, wondering if they were becoming “wild, savage animals.”

Andes Survivors Fought for Their Lives Against All Odds

Carlos Paez, one of the survivors, reflected on the repugnance of eating human flesh but emphasized that it became a way for their friends to “nourish” and keep them alive.

In a bizarre twist, he likened their deceased friends to “some of the first organ donors in the world.”

To ensure their collective survival, the survivors made a pact that if one of them died, the others were obligated to consume their bodies.

The harsh conditions and lack of alternatives left them with no choice but to make this grim commitment.

How the Andes Survivors Dealt with the Stress and Anxiety of Cannibalism

Roberto Canessa, a medical student among the survivors, revealed the psychological impact of their decision.

Each survivor came to their own decision to consume human flesh, and once made, it was irreversible – a final goodbye to their innocence.

Nando Parrado, another survivor, detailed his internal struggle and the heartbreaking decision to leave his mother and sister behind.

In a poignant moment, he instructed a teammate to use their bodies as a last resort for sustenance if they ran out of food.

How the Andes Survivors Endured and Escaped from the Andes

Nando Parrado, along with Roberto Canessa and Antonio ‘Tintín’ Vizintín, embarked on a perilous 10-day journey, climbing down the mountain with their rugby socks filled with human flesh. Their resilience and determination led them to the border of Chile.

After days of trekking, they encountered signs of life and were eventually rescued by a helicopter.

The news of their survival prompted a subsequent rescue mission, bringing an end to the survivors’ agonizing ordeal in the Andes.

In conclusion, the Andes plane crash survivors’ use of cannibalism as a desperate strategy for survival remains a haunting chapter in human history.

The unimaginable choices they faced and the psychological toll it took on them serve as a stark reminder of the lengths people can go to endure the harshest conditions.

Decades later, their story continues to captivate audiences, sparking reflections on the limits of human resilience and the profound impact of desperate circumstances.