Of the 16 survivors of the accident, only one 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 feet high.
Euskaraz irakurri: Mende erdi Andeetan hegazkin bat erori zenetik
Today marks 50 years since the fateful day when a plane crashed in the Andes Mountains, between Argentina and Chile. On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force aircraft 571 crashed into one of the mountains, losing its wings and tail in the impact. The remaining part of the hull slid down the mountain until it 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 did the same as a result of the infections from the wounds, starvation and an avalanche that buried eight people. The remaining 16 managed to survive for 72 days in freezing temperatures and without food. To get ahead, they were forced to eat the flesh of their dead companions and organized themselves to perform the necessary tasks for survival until they were rescued on December 23.
Eduardo Strauch Urioste was one of the survivors, and he says 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 that.”
Planes from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay searched for the downed plane, but no one managed to spot the white fuselage in the snow. So, coupled with the harsh conditions on the mountain, rescue teams’ hopes of finding anyone alive began to wane until they called off the search eight days after the incident.
During the 72 days stranded on the glacier, knowing they were no longer looking for them, the survivors faced several 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 from melting snow. However, food was scarce.
After rationing the supplies they had, the food ran out after a week. There was no way to get raw materials on the glacier, so with no other choice, the survivors decided to eat the flesh of their dead comrades’ bodies. One of the survivors, Roberto Canessa, described the moment when they decided to turn to anthropophagy: “We felt like our own bodies were being consumed just to stay alive. In a short time we would become too weak to recover.” of hunger. knew the answer, but it was too terrible to think about. The bodies of our friends and teammates, kept outside in the snow and ice, contain vital, life-giving proteins that could help us survive. But would we can that too?
61 days after the accident, on December 12, three of the survivors embarked on an expedition through the mountains to seek help. After two days of hiking, one of them returned to camp, while the other two continued their search until, on December 20, they encountered a Chilean mule driver who relayed the news of the survivors to the Chilean army for rescue. others. After 72 days on the glacier, the 16 juveniles 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, but given the circumstances and at the request of the authorities and the victims’ families, it was decided to place them near the accident site. buried, in a common pit.
Survivors:
1. Adolfo Luis Strauch Urioste
2. Alfredo Daniel Delgado Salaberric
3. Alvaro Mangino Schmid
4. Antonio Jose Vizintin Brandic
5. Carlos Paez Rodriguez
6. Daniel Fernandez Strauch
7. Eduardo Jose 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
(function(d, s, id) {
var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
js.src = “//connect.facebook.net/es_ES/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.8”;
fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
}(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’));
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
