Survival Cannibalism

The Andes Flight Disaster

By: Tan Sri Son | 08/08/2025

The Andes Flight Disaster: A Story of Tragedy, Survival, and the Limits of Humanity

The Andes Flight Disaster, also known as the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash, remains one of the most harrowing survival stories in modern history. The tragedy occurred in October 1972, when a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team, their friends, and family crashed in the Andes Mountains. Stranded for 72 days in one of the harshest environments on Earth, the survivors endured unimaginable suffering and ultimately resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. This event has since become a powerful case study in human resilience, ethical boundaries, and the instinct to survive.

The Journey That Turned to Tragedy

On October 12, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 departed from Montevideo, Uruguay, bound for Santiago, Chile. The passengers included 45 people: the Old Christians Club rugby team, along with their family members, friends, and crew.

Bad weather forced the Fairchild FH-227D aircraft to stop overnight in Mendoza, Argentina. The next day, October 13, the pilots attempted to cross the Andes Mountains despite poor visibility. A navigational error proved fatal. Believing they had already cleared the mountains, the pilots began descending too early. At 3:30 PM, the plane struck a mountain peak near the Chilean border.

The aircraft broke apart, scattering passengers, luggage, and debris across the snow. 12 people died instantly. Several others succumbed to injuries within hours. Those who survived were left stranded in the freezing wilderness, at an altitude of over 3,500 meters (11,500 feet).

Stranded in the Andes

The survivors soon realized the severity of their situation. Rescue helicopters could not locate the wreckage amid the vast mountains, and after 10 days, the official search was called off. Families back home were told there were no survivors.

Meanwhile, on the mountain, the group battled:

Extreme cold: Nighttime temperatures plunged below –30°C (–22°F).

Thin air: The high altitude made breathing difficult and caused exhaustion.

Avalanches: Snow slides buried parts of the wreckage and killed additional survivors.

Starvation: Food supplies ran out quickly—there was only chocolate, wine, and a few snacks.

With no vegetation, no animals to hunt, and no way to melt enough snow for sustenance, the group faced certain death.

The Agonizing Decision: Cannibalism

After weeks without food, the survivors reached the edge of starvation. At this point, a moral and spiritual debate began among them. Should they let themselves die, or use the bodies of their deceased companions for sustenance?

Eventually, they made the agonizing decision to eat the frozen corpses of those who had perished in the crash. Survivors later described how horrifying it was at first—to cut flesh from the bodies of their friends. They rationalized the act as necessary to live and even framed it in religious terms, comparing it to the Eucharist, where Christ’s body is symbolically consumed.

This decision carried them through the weeks that followed. Though it caused lifelong emotional scars, the choice to engage in survival cannibalism became the defining factor that allowed 16 people to make it out alive.

Tragedy Within the Tragedy: The Avalanche

Just as the survivors began to adjust to their grim reality, tragedy struck again. On October 29, 1972, an avalanche buried part of the fuselage, killing eight more people, including key members of the group. The survivors were forced to dig themselves out of the snow and endure yet another devastating loss.

The constant deaths left the survivors in despair, but their determination to live pushed them forward. Leadership emerged within the group, particularly among Fernando “Nando” Parrado and Roberto Canessa, who would later become crucial in securing rescue.

The Trek to Freedom

By December, two months had passed since the crash. The survivors knew no one was coming to rescue them. In desperation, Parrado, Canessa, and Antonio Vizintín volunteered to trek across the mountains in search of civilization. Equipped with makeshift sleeping bags made from airplane insulation and human skin stretched into leather, they began their journey.

After 10 days of grueling travel, Parrado and Canessa encountered a Chilean shepherd named Sergio Catalán, who was tending his livestock near the Andes foothills. Unable to cross the river to reach them, Catalán threw them bread and wrote instructions on paper, promising to alert authorities.

On December 20, 1972, rescue helicopters finally reached the crash site. Over two missions, they evacuated the 16 remaining survivors, ending their 72-day ordeal.

Public Reaction and Moral Debate

When the world learned that the survivors had resorted to cannibalism, the reaction was mixed. Some criticized them, unable to grasp how they could eat the bodies of their friends. Others sympathized, recognizing that in such desperate conditions, their choice was one of necessity rather than malice.

The survivors themselves struggled with guilt and trauma. Many reported lifelong emotional scars, though they also expressed gratitude for the chance to live. Their story was later chronicled in books, interviews, and documentaries, the most famous being “Alive” (1993), a film based on Piers Paul Read’s book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors.

Legacy of the Andes Flight Disaster

The Andes Flight Disaster is remembered not only as a story of death and tragedy but also as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It highlights:

1. The power of leadership – Figures like Parrado and Canessa inspired the group to keep fighting for survival.

2. The will to live – Despite overwhelming odds, the survivors refused to surrender to despair.

3. Ethical boundaries under extreme circumstances – Their decision to practice cannibalism remains one of the most difficult moral dilemmas in survival history.

4. Global impact – The event challenged how societies view morality, religion, and survival in desperate situations.

Conclusion

The Andes Flight Disaster remains one of the most chilling and inspiring survival stories ever recorded. For 72 days, ordinary men and women faced unimaginable hardships: freezing cold, starvation, avalanches, and isolation. Forced into survival cannibalism, they crossed a boundary that few humans have ever encountered.

Yet, in the end, their courage and determination carried them through. The survival of those 16 individuals is not just a story of desperation—it is a story of human endurance, unity, and the primal instinct to cling to life at all costs. The legacy of the Andes survivors continues to serve as both a haunting reminder of human fragility and a powerful symbol of hope.

Coming Soon

We're on a mission .............................