The text describes a horrific plane crash in the Andes Mountains on October 12, 1972. A chartered aircraft carrying 45 passengers, including rugby players, took off from Uruguay and was heading to Santiago, Chile. Midway, a storm hit the mountains and the plane was forced to land in Mendoza, Argentina for the night. The next day, while descending towards Santiago, the plane encountered severe turbulence and crashed into the mountains.
The crash resulted in the death of all but 19 passengers. The survivors were stranded in the mountains, at a height of 3,570 meters. Over the next several days, they lived off the plane's supplies and resorted to cannibalism when their food ran out. On December 12, two of the survivors, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa, managed to cross a valley and reach a river. They were spotted by a local farmer, Sergio Catalan, who returned the next day with paper and a pencil. Using these, Parrado was able to send a message to Catalan, who then relayed the message to the authorities.
Help finally arrived on December 24, 1972, when a group of Chilean military personnel and a helicopter found the survivors. The story of the survivors, who endured extreme hardships and a desperate journey across the mountains, became known as the "Miracle of the Andes".
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
- A small chartered aircraft carrying 45 passengers, mostly rugby players from Uruguay, crashed in the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972.
- The survivors faced extreme cold, hunger, injuries, avalanches, and snow blindness for more than two months.
- They resorted to eating the d*ad bodies of their friends and family to stay alive.
- Three of the survivors decided to hike across the mountains to find help, while the others stayed at the crash site.
- After 10 days of trekking, they encountered a Chilean farmer who alerted the authorities about their location.
- On December 22, 1972, 16 survivors were rescued by helicopters and taken to hospitals.
- The story became known as the Miracle of the Andes and inspired books, films, and documentaries.