Mystery of Flight 571 | World's Greatest Miracle | Dhruv Rathee
Dhruv Rathee・21 minutes read
Survivors of a plane crash in the Andes mountains faced extreme conditions, including consuming deceased passengers for sustenance, before embarking on a journey for help, showcasing their resilience and determination. Their 70-day ordeal ended when three survivors reached a valley, encountered humans, and sent a message for help, leading to their eventual rescue.
Insights
- Despite facing a plane crash, harsh weather conditions, and limited resources, the survivors of the Andes flight disaster displayed remarkable resilience and determination to survive, showcasing the strength of the human spirit in dire circumstances.
- The survivors' decision to consume deceased passengers for sustenance, their resourcefulness in utilizing the plane wreckage for shelter, rationing food, and improvising methods to collect water underscored their adaptability and unwavering commitment to staying alive, even when faced with unimaginable challenges.
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Recent questions
What happened to the survivors of a plane crash in the Andes?
They resorted to consuming deceased passengers for sustenance.
How did the survivors of the Andes plane crash find help?
They embarked on a journey to seek help on foot.
How did the survivors of the Andes plane crash signal for help?
They sent a message for help after encountering humans.
What supplies did the survivors of the Andes plane crash find in the wreckage?
They found chocolates, meat patties, rum, clothes, and a two-way radio system.
How did the survivors of the Andes plane crash manage to survive the cold nights?
They sewed a sleeping bag from different clothing pieces.
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Summary
00:00
Survivors' Harrowing Andes Mountain Plane Crash
- On 12th October, 1972, a chartered aircraft with 45 passengers, including rugby players, took off from Uruguay to Santiago, Chile, but encountered a storm in the Andes Mountains.
- The pilots landed in Mendoza, Argentina for the night and resumed the flight on 13th October, facing turbulence and a near collision with a mountain while descending towards Santiago.
- The rear of the aircraft collided with the mountain, causing the plane to crash into a glacier at a speed of 350 km/h, resulting in the deaths of the pilots and passengers.
- Out of the 45 passengers, 33 survived the crash at a height of 3,570 meters in the Andes, with many sustaining injuries and being unaware of their location.
- Medical students Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino provided medical aid to the injured passengers, while search and rescue teams deployed aircraft to locate the crash site without success.
- Survivors used the plane wreckage as shelter, rationed food, and improvised methods to collect water, such as using a metal sheet as a solar collector.
- After 11 days, the survivors learned that the search operation had been called off, leading to desperation and the decision to consume the deceased passengers for sustenance.
- An avalanche claimed eight more lives, leaving only 19 survivors who dug a tunnel under the snow to reach the surface and faced harsh weather conditions.
- Realizing the need to take action to survive, the remaining survivors, including Canessa, Parrado, and Vizintin, decided to walk in search of help, estimating their location based on the co-pilot's mention of passing through Curico.
- The survivors' journey for help began, aiming to reach countryside areas of Chile, highlighting their resilience and determination to survive against all odds.
16:10
Survivors' Journey: Andes Mountains to Rescue
- The crash site was 89 km east in the Andes mountains, where three survivors rested before setting out for help on November 15, 33 days post-crash.
- They discovered the rear piece of the aircraft, containing various supplies like chocolates, meat patties, rum, clothes, comic books, and a two-way radio system.
- Attempting to start the radio for an SOS call, they found 24 kg batteries in the tail section but couldn't connect them due to voltage differences.
- Facing an avalanche on December 11, three more survivors perished, leaving only 16 remaining.
- To survive the cold nights, Carlos Miguel Rodriguez sewed a sleeping bag from different clothing pieces.
- On December 12, Parrado, Canessa, and Vizintin embarked westward without mountaineering gear to climb a glacier towards Chile.
- After a grueling journey, they reached a valley on December 20, where they encountered humans and sent a message for help, leading to their rescue on December 22, 70 days after the crash.
