in this article we will know, why did uruguayan flight 571 crash, who rescued flight 571, who died flight 571, how was flight 571 rescued, why flight 571 crashed
Hello, friends! On 12th October 1972, a small chartered aircraft took off from South America's Uruguay. This aircraft was going to Santiago, the capital of Chile. And it was accompanied by a few rugby team players. With a total of 45 passengers, the players' families and friends were also with them. This flight wasn't going to be long. Usually, it takes only 3 hours from Uruguay to Santiago. But in the middle of the road, there are huge Andes mountains. The Andes mountain range in South America is the world's longest mountain range. And after the Himalayan mountains, the highest mountains are found here. These beautiful mountains, in our story, become a terrible problem for these passengers. On the day of October 12, there was a storm in the mountains.
Because of this, the plane couldn't move forward. The pilots decide to stop on the way, and try to fly again the next day. The plane is landed in the city of Mendoza in Argentina for the night. The next day, October 13th, the aircraft takes off again at 2.18 pm. The pilots had seen that the weather had cleared up, so the journey was pleasant for the next hour. At 3.21 pm, the pilots descend the plane. The plane was approaching Santiago, but it was still in the mountains. Because there are very high mountains near the city. As it descends, there is a terrible turbulence. The plane starts to move up and down very rapidly. At the same time, a lot of clouds come around. Clouds all around.
You can't see anything. All of a sudden, the plane's alarms start ringing, and the warning lights start flashing. No one understands what's going on. Some rugby players in the passenger seats are very fearless. They make fun of this turbulence. In the midst of these jokes, a passenger looks out the window, and sees the clouds slowly moving away. But then he sees that the mountain is very close. As soon as the aircraft comes out of the clouds, the pilots realise that right in front of them, there's a huge cliff. Immediately in panic, they tried to turn the plane upwards. The ground collision alarm of the aircraft was ringing very loudly. The pilots used maximum power to gain altitude. To escape from the top of the hill.
But unfortunately, it was too late. The back of the aircraft, collides with the mountain on the way up. The entire rear portion of the plane is separated. The two rows of seats in the back literally fly out of the plane. Three passengers fly with it and disappear into the air. For a few more seconds, the plane keeps going up, and then suddenly, it starts falling down. A few seconds later, another collision. The left wing of the plane also breaks. Some other passengers fly out of the plane and fall down. Now, only the front portion of the plane was left, which fell into a glacier. At a speed of 350 kmph, it continued to slide on the glacier. And 700 meters below, finally, there was a final clash.
Everything in the plane was destroyed. The passenger seats burst out of the base of the plane. The cockpit of the plane was completely crushed. And two pilots were killed immediately. This aircraft is now lying on an unknown hill of Andes, at a height of 3,570 meters. Surprisingly, out of the 45 people in the plane, 33 are still alive. They have somehow survived the crash. The problem is that many of them are injured. And no one knows where they are stuck. It turns out that the plane had travelled 80 km from its planned route. And the painful story of survival has just begun, friends. Neither could they imagine at that time, nor can you imagine at that time, what happened to these survivors. This is the heartbreaking story of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571.
Let's find out in today's article, friends. Immediately after the crash, there were two survivors who weren't badly injured. The first was 19-year-old Roberto Canessa, and the second was 20-year-old Gustavo Zerbino. Both of them were medical students, so they immediately set out to see who was still alive, and how they could help the injured. They saw that many passengers had suffered severe injuries. One of them was 23-year-old Fernando Parado, who was now in a coma due to a skull fracture. As much as possible, the two medical students tried to help the survivors. On the other hand, within an hour of the plane's disappearance, the Chilean Air Search and Rescue Service received a notification. Four planes were deployed to search for the survivors. From evening to night, they tried to find the crash site.
But unfortunately, they couldn't find anything. The rescue service officers conclude after listening to the radio transmission that the aircraft must have crashed at a remote and inaccessible location. The problem was that the aircraft was white in colour. And it crashed at a place where there was white snow and ice all around. It was very difficult to find it in the snowy mountains. On the night of 13th October, the remaining passengers were very hopeful. They hoped that they could spend a night here, to find a way to escape the cold. The next day, someone would find them. On that snowy night, 5 injured passengers were unable to survive. The number of survivors has now fallen to 28, below 33. The survivors used the remaining body of the plane as a shelter.
They used luggage, seats, and ice to close the back of the plane. So that it could remain warm inside. The next day, 14th October. 11 aircraft from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay were involved in the search operation. The search area that they had chosen was correct. The location of the crash site was present in the same search area. But they were still unable to find the crash site. The survivors tried to use lipstick to write SOS on the roof of the plane. They started writing S, but soon realised that they didn't have enough lipstick to write all the letters. Then they try to make a large cross using suitcases in the snow, so that the search aircraft would be able to spot them. But soon, they realise that they weren't doing their job.
That day, they saw not one, not two, but three aircrafts flying over them. They shouted and waved their hands, trying their best to make the aircrafts notice them. But they couldn't do it. Another day passed in this attempt. The next day, 15th October, the survivors realise that they need water to survive. A passenger named Fito Schroch finds a way to extract water. He uses a metal sheet as a solar collector, to concentrate the sunlight and melt the ice. He collects drops of water in empty wine bottles. Along with this, many passengers use the mattresses on the seats as snow shoes. The wool in the seat covers were also used to protect themselves from the cold. The next day, on 16th October, three days after the crash, Fernando Parado awoke from his coma.
As soon as he regained consciousness, he saw that his mother had died in the crash. And his 19-year-old sister was severely injured. Parado tried his best to keep his sister alive. He brought food and water for her. But as the day went by, 8 days after the crash, her sister passed away because of her injuries. These accidents remind us that life is so uncertain. So unpredictable. Most of the passengers were people who lived by the sea. They had never seen ice before. And suddenly, in the cold of minus 30°C, at such a high altitude, without proper food and water, they were somehow surviving here. There was another problem in these bad circumstances. Snow blindness. When the ultraviolet rays of the sun reflect on the snow and the snow on the mountains, it can damage your eyes as well. This is called snow blindness. These survivors had only 3 pairs of sunglasses in total. On 21st October, 8 days after the crash, the search and rescue teams raised their hands.
They felt that if they didn't find any clues about any of the survivors in the 8 days, there was no point in continuing the search operation. there's very little chance that someone would have survived after all these days. So after 142 hours of search operation, this search operation was officially stopped. In the meantime, the survivors found a transistor radio in the seats of the aircraft. A survivor rugby player, Roy Harley, was also an enthusiast of electronics. So he tried to turn on the radio. He improvised a long antenna. And because of their efforts, this radio started working. Only one-way communication could have been possible with this radio. The survivors could hear the outside news, but they couldn't send any message to the outside.
They turned on the radio after 11 days of the crash. And then they found out that the search operation had been cancelled. Their hearts were completely set on it. Some people started crying after hearing this news. Some started praying to God with their hands. Feeling that their world is alive and they consider you dead. Fernando Parado was the only one who didn't react much after hearing this news. Because he had some other plans in mind. By the 11th day, the survivors started feeling a severe lack of food. They didn't have much to eat in the beginning. There were only 8 chocolate bars, 1 tin of mussels, 3 small jars of jam, 1 tin of almonds, There was a box of almonds, some dates, some candies, some dried plums, and some wine bottles.
A few days after the crash, they started rationing all this food. They ate very little every day. The Parados ate a chocolate-covered peanut for 3 days. Only one peanut. But rationing wasn't enough. Because the food was running out. At a height of 3,800 m, there were no plants or animals to be eaten. For 11 days, the food was completely finished. And some people tried to eat some parts of the plane. Like the cotton inside the seats, and the leather on the seats. But this made them even more ill. In such a situation, when there was no other option but to starve, the survivors did something that you'd lose your senses. They decided that to survive, there was no other option but to eat the bodies of their friends and family members.
It wasn't easy to make this decision. Because most of the people who died in this crash, were friends, classmates, family members, or relatives. We have to eat. And the only proteins are the dead bodies of the people that were in this plane. When Canessa got the idea, he was the first to try to do it. Some people tried to eat, but they couldn't digest it. They refused at that time. But two days later, when there was no other option, So finally, they also cooked the meat for the humans. On 29 October, 16 days after the crash, the food source for the survivors was decreasing rapidly. They had no plan of action. No one knew what to do next. The situation could not have been worse.
But then that night, they heard a loud noise. It turns out that an avalanche has suddenly arrived. The heavy snow falls so rapidly from the top of the mountain, that the plane is completely covered in snow. Eight people get lost in the snow and die due to shortness of breath. Now, only 19 are left. Roberto, you had it. You're going to die. That's it. A very nice sensation of heat between my legs because I was peeing on myself and saying, that's it. The remaining 19 people are also buried in a small space in the ice. Parado uses a metal pole to make a hole in the ice. So that some ventilation can come in. After working hard for 2 days, they dig a tunnel from the ice.
and were unable to get out on the surface. As soon as they got out, they saw a snowstorm coming. And to survive, it would be wise to go back to the cave. For the next 3 days, the survivors were trapped in a cramped space. After 3 days, they went back to the surface when the weather was clear. After getting out, the survivors realised that no one was going to save them. If they want to stay alive, they will have to make efforts on their own. There is no point in sitting on the crash site and hoping for help. If they want to die, they will try to die. Canessa, Parado, and the Byzantines were the strongest survivors. So they all decided to give them more food and warm clothes.
Because they would try to find help by walking outside. The first thing to do was to estimate the location. Before the crash, the co-pilot had given a statement that his aircraft had passed through the city of Curico. So they estimated that if they walked a few kilometres to the west, they would reach some countryside areas of Chile. But their estimation was very, very wrong. The co-pilot himself had no idea where he was taking the plane. In reality, their crash site was 89 kilometres east. in the middle of the Andes mountains. Still, they rest for some time to build up their energy, and on 15th November, 33 days after the crash, these 3 people set out to seek help. After walking for hours in the east, they find a piece of their own aircraft lying on the ground.
It was the same part of the plane that had already broken. Inside it, they find many suitcases, boxes of chocolates, three meat patties, a bottle of rum, extra clothes, comic books, and even some medicines. Along with it, they find the aircraft's two-way radio system. A radio that not only communicates with the incoming passengers, but can also send out a message. They decide to spend the night here. The next day of the expedition, they move further east, but after the conversation, they feel that to start the aircraft's radio. Why don't we try to remove some batteries from the main body of the aircraft, and then try to start the radio? Then we can send our SOS call outside. They also found 24 kg batteries in the tail.
But they were very heavy. They couldn't be carried back to the crash site. So they decided to try to start it from here. They went back to help Roy Harley. who knew a bit about electronics, but unfortunately, this plan didn't work either. The thing is that the aircraft's electrical system used to work on a 115V AC. And their battery was a 24V DC. They had no means of connecting them. For a few days, they tried to start the radio, but soon realised that there was no other way. To survive, they had to walk in the direction of the west. On 11th December, 59 days after the crash, an avalanche arrives, killing three more survivors. I was trapped completely by the snow in the avalanche and it's the most deadly silence you may imagine.
I couldn't move. Only 16 survivors are left. To climb the mountains in the west direction, they needed a way to sleep at night. how to survive at minus 30 degrees Celsius at night. One of the survivors was an 18-year-old boy, Carlos Miguel RodrÃguez. He remembered that his mother had taught him to sew with needles. He carried his needles and sewing kit with him. He had the idea to stitch different clothes together, and make a big sleeping bag. This is what was done. The next day, December 12, two months had passed since the crash. The three brave men, Parado, Canessa, and Vizentin, set out without any mountain ring gear to climb the glacier. The only certain thing was to the west was Chile. Going west meant that they had to go up the first hill before going down.
They still thought that it was only a few kilometres away. They hoped to find help within 2-3 days. So they packed a supply of meat for only 3 days. And you can imagine without any skill, without any training, you're like a child when you are confronted with a snow slope. You try to go straight up, you might be using your hands and your feet, you're slipping, you're sliding. And for every step that you go up, you slide back a half a step. In order to avoid the cold, wearing three jeans on top of each other. He wore three more sweaters on top of his T-shirt. He wore four pairs of socks on his feet. He also had a plastic shopping bag on top of it.
The cold was so bad. He had no technical gear, no map, no compass, and no climbing experience. At this height, the air becomes very thin. He starts to feel the lack of oxygen. But despite this, he kept moving towards the mountains. The sleeping bag that he had stitched, was useful at night. In the daytime, he would slowly move forward. The three of them would sleep as close to each other as possible in the sleeping bag. And as soon as the sun rose, they would start walking. Slowly, step by step, he would keep moving forward. The next day came. The third day came. And on the morning of the 4th day, they realise that their estimation was wrong. They see that the road doesn't end there.
Because of the lack of food, the Byzantines decide to turn back and go to the crash site. And only the remaining two people will move ahead. So that there is less need for food. On 15th December, the Byzantines take their way back. Which is a very easy way. Because it was all downhill. He used the aircraft's seat as a sleigh, and within an hour, he reached the crash site. It took him 3 days to climb this mountain. And he reached the crash site in just an hour. Parado and Canessa continued to climb the mountain. After 3 hours, they reached the peak of the mountain, and they saw that there were mountains all around them. There is nothing but snowy mountains nearby. I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't speak. I couldn't even think because what we saw was horrible. Instead of green valleys, we saw mountains and snow-covered peaks 360 degrees around us to the horizon all around us. Parados try very hard to find something to see. In the far western horizon, they see two peaks where there is no snow. They assume that they should keep travelling in the same direction. They don't want to give up. Parado and Canessa continue to hike for many days. Finally, they reach a valley. A valley where they see a flowing river. It was a relief to reach the river in such a situation. Because while travelling in the direction of the river, it was easy to find a downhill route. They kept walking and walking.
And finally, after trekking for 9 days, on 20 December, they saw the presence of humans. They saw some cows in the fields. They were so tired at this point of time, that they couldn't go any further. And then, On the other side of the river. And Roberto says, look, Nando, a man on a horse. The three people sitting on the horse are seen. Parado tries to scream, but the river is so loud that no one can hear him. But by chance, one of them sees Parado and Canessa. And he looks at them and screams again. Tomorrow. He says, I'll come back tomorrow. The next day, the man returns on his horse. And this time, he brings some paper and pencil with him. He attaches the paper to the rock with a thread.
And throws it to the other side of the river. For the first time, Parado gets a chance to convey his message to the rest of the world. Parado writes on this paper in Spanish. I come from a plain that fell in the mountains. On the other hand, the person receiving this message was a Chilean farmer, Sergio Catalan. He reads this note and tells them with signs that he has understood. After talking to his other two companions, he finds out that he is remembering something. A couple of months ago, he had heard about a plane crash. When these companions realise this, they are shocked. They can't believe that someone is still alive from a two-month-old plane crash. They throw a piece of bread on the other side of the river.
And for the next 10 hours, they sit on a horse, started to run in the direction of the west. They were still far from any village or settlement of humans. Finally, when they reached the nearest city, the army command there was informed of this news. They contacted the headquarters of the army in Santiago. Meanwhile, the farmers brought Parado and Canessa to the city of Los Maite, with the help of a horse. Where they finally found some rest. It was discovered that on the strength of their hope, In the last 10 days, he had hiked for 61 km on foot. Canessa had lost half of his body weight. Only 44 kg of his weight was left. As soon as the rest of the people find out about his story, it becomes international news.
This heart-breaking story was unbelievable. The Chilean Air Force sends three helicopters to rescue them immediately. Army officers interview Parado and Canessa to find out the location. Parado had brought a pilot's flight chart with him. And he was measuring where they were hiking. The army officers take them in a helicopter to locate the crash site. With their help, the survivors' location is finally known to the army commanders. On 22nd December 1972, after 70 days of the crash, two helicopters finally reach the survivors to rescue them. A total of 16 survivors are rescued here. The survivors were in terrible condition. Altitude sickness, dehydration, broken bones, malnutrition, But everyone recovers. This story is a lesson for the world about hope. If you've decided to do something, and you have patience and humanity, then is it not possible to do anything?
