Miracle in the Andes
A Story of Extreme Survival
The Story
The survivors had little food and no source of heat in the harsh conditions. Faced with starvation and radio news reports that the search for them had been abandoned, the survivors fed on the dead passengers who had been preserved in the snow. Rescuers did not learn of the survivors until 72 days after the crash when passengers Nando and Roberto after a 10-day trek across the Andes, found civilization and then alerted the authorities to the existence of the other survivors
The Reaction
When first rescued, the survivors initially explained that they had eaten airline food they had carried with them, planning to discuss the details in private with their families. They were pushed into the public eye when photos were leaked to the press and sensational, unauthorized articles were published.
The rescuers and a Chilean priest later returned to the crash site and buried the bodies of the deceased. Close to the grave a stone pile with an iron cross was built. The remains of the fuselage were doused in gasoline and set on fire.
To this day the public still has mixed feelings about the events that happened in the mountains. Some say it was an act of instinct and survival, others say it was barbaric.