Mystery of Flight 571 | World's Greatest Miracle | Dhruv Rathee

Summary

On October 12, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes, leaving 45 passengers stranded. Despite severe injuries and harsh conditions, 33 survived the initial crash. After an unsuccessful search, the survivors, led by medical students Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino, resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Fernando Parrado and Canessa embarked on a desperate trek for help, enduring avalanches and extreme weather. After 70 days, they found a Chilean farmer, leading to a dramatic rescue of the remaining 16 survivors, now known as the Miracle of the Andes.

Takeaways

• 🛩️ On October 12, 1972, a chartered aircraft carrying 45 passengers, including rugby players and their families, crashed in the Andes Mountains due to a storm and turbulence.
• ⛰ The Andes Mountain Range is the world's longest and can be as treacherous as the Himalayas, with its high altitude and severe weather conditions.
• 🌩️ The plane encountered a storm and had to land in Mendoza, Argentina, with plans to continue the next day, but the weather led to a fatal crash.
• 🚑 Out of the 45 passengers, 33 survived the initial crash, but many were injured and stranded at an altitude of 3,570 meters without immediate rescue.
• 🔎 Search and rescue operations were launched but were unsuccessful in locating the plane due to its white color blending with the snow and inaccessibility of the crash site.
• 🩹 Two medical students, Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino, played a crucial role in tending to the injured and assessing the survivors' conditions.
• 🌙 The survivors faced extreme cold and snow blindness, using limited resources like seat cushions and wool to protect themselves and melt snow for water.
• 🥀 As food supplies dwindled, the survivors were forced to resort to cannibalism to stay alive, consuming the bodies of those who had died in the crash.
• 📻 The survivors found a transistor radio that allowed them to listen to broadcasts, learning that the search for them had been called off after 8 days.
• 🏔️ A group of the strongest survivors, including Fernando Parrado, decided to hike out of the mountains in search of help, enduring harsh conditions and avalanches.
• 🗺️ After a grueling journey, Parrado and Canessa were found by Chilean farmers, leading to a successful rescue mission that saved 16 survivors, now known as the Miracle of the Andes.

Q & A

What was the date when the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 took off from Uruguay?

The flight took off on 12th October, 1972.

What was the intended destination of the flight?

The intended destination was Santiago, the capital of Chile.

How many passengers were on board the aircraft?

There were 45 passengers on board, including rugby players and some of their family and friends.

Why did the plane have to stop flying on the initial day of the journey?

The plane had to stop flying due to a storm in the Andes Mountains, and the pilots decided to land in Mendoza, Argentina for the night.

What happened to the plane during the descent on the second day of the flight?

During the descent, the plane encountered severe turbulence and clouds, leading to collisions with the mountain, causing the plane to break apart and crash into a glacier.

How many survivors were there after the crash?

Surprisingly, 33 out of the 45 people on board survived the crash.

What was the initial action taken by Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino, who were medical students among the survivors?

Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino immediately started checking who was alive and how to help the injured passengers.

Why was the search operation for the crashed plane unsuccessful initially?

The search operation was unsuccessful because the plane was white and had crashed in an area covered with white snow and ice, making it very difficult to locate.

What drastic measure did the survivors take to stay alive when their food supply ran out?

In a desperate situation with no other food options, the survivors decided to eat the dead bodies of their friends and family members.

Who were the three survivors that set out to find help after the crash?

The three survivors who set out to find help were Roberto Canessa, Fernando Parrado, and Nando Parrado's brother, Vizintin.

How did the survivors finally get rescued after the crash?

The survivors were finally rescued after Fernando Parrado and Roberto Canessa reached a valley, encountered a farmer named Sergio Catalan, and managed to send a message for help, which led to a rescue operation by the Chilean Air Force.

Outlines

00:00

🛩 Tragic Flight and Crash in the Andes

On October 12, 1972, a chartered flight carrying Uruguayan rugby players and their companions crashed into the Andes Mountains due to a storm. The aircraft, en route from Uruguay to Santiago, Chile, was forced to land in Argentina overnight. The next day, the flight encountered severe turbulence and collided with a mountain, leading to a catastrophic crash. Miraculously, 33 of the 45 passengers survived the initial impact, but found themselves stranded at an altitude of 3,570 meters with many injured and no immediate rescue in sight.

05:02

🌨️ Desperate Survival Strategies and Harsh Realities

After the crash, the survivors, including two medical students, Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino, began to assess the situation and care for the injured. Despite initial optimism for rescue, the harsh Andean weather and the remote crash site proved challenging. The search and rescue operations failed to locate the plane due to its white color blending with the snow. As the days passed, the survivors faced the grim reality of dwindling resources, severe injuries, and the loss of hope as the search was called off after eight days.

10:03

❄️ The Struggle Against Nature and the Difficult Decision

As the survivors battled the elements, they were forced to confront the harsh conditions of snow blindness and the extreme cold. With the search operation abandoned, they discovered a transistor radio that only received signals, revealing the end of their rescue hopes. Facing starvation, they made the agonizing decision to resort to cannibalism, consuming the bodies of those who had not survived the crash. This desperate measure extended their survival, but the situation remained dire.

15:06

🏔️ The Relentless March for Help

Determined to survive, the strongest among the survivors, including Fernando Parrado, decided to seek help. They set out on a perilous journey across the Andes, unaware of the true distance to safety. After a grueling trek, they discovered a broken piece of the aircraft containing additional supplies and a two-way radio, which they attempted to use to send an SOS message. Despite their efforts, the radio plan failed, and they were forced to continue their trek westward.

20:08

🚶‍♂️ The Arduous Trek and Human Resilience

Parrado, Canessa, and Vizintin pressed on, enduring the brutal cold and treacherous terrain without proper equipment. After days of hiking, they reached a valley and discovered a river, which they followed downstream. Eventually, they encountered a Chilean farmer, Sergio Catalan, who brought them to a nearby location and relayed their message for help. This encounter marked a turning point in their struggle, as it initiated the process of their rescue.

25:10

🛑 Rescue and the Miracle of the Andes

The Chilean Air Force and army were mobilized, and with Parrado's help, located the crash site. On December 22, 1972, 16 survivors were rescued after 70 days of ordeal in the Andes. Their story of survival against all odds became an international sensation, symbolizing the power of human will and the resilience of the spirit. The event is now known as the Miracle of the Andes, a testament to hope and determination in the face of adversity.

Keywords

💡Andes Mountains

The Andes Mountains, mentioned as the world's longest mountain range and the setting for the tragic plane crash, are integral to the video's theme of survival against the odds. They represent both the beauty and the harshness of nature, where the highest peaks outside the Himalayas are found. The script describes how the mountains became devastating for the passengers, leading to the crash and the subsequent struggle for survival.

💡Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571

Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 is the specific flight number of the aircraft involved in the crash, central to the video's narrative. It symbolizes the start of the harrowing tale of survival, highlighting the real-life event that unfolded in the Andes. The script uses this term to anchor the story and to emphasize the gravity of the situation the passengers faced.

💡Survival

Survival is the overarching theme of the video, encapsulating the struggle of the passengers to stay alive in the inhospitable Andes. The script details the physical and psychological challenges they faced, from enduring severe weather conditions to making the agonizing decision to resort to cannibalism. The concept of survival is explored in its most primal form, testing the limits of human endurance and morality.

💡Turbulence

Turbulence, as depicted in the script, is the violent shaking of the aircraft that led to the plane's fatal crash. It is a critical moment in the video, illustrating the sudden and uncontrollable forces of nature that the passengers encountered. The term is used to convey the onset of danger and the beginning of the tragic events that followed.

💡Search and Rescue

Search and Rescue operations are the efforts made to locate and save the passengers of the crashed plane. The script describes the initial hope of the survivors for rescue, the subsequent failure to find them, and the eventual abandonment of the search. This concept is pivotal to the video's theme, showing the contrast between human efforts and the overwhelming power of nature.

💡Avalanche

An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, which in the script, tragically buries the survivors and claims more lives. It represents an additional natural hazard that the passengers had to face, further emphasizing the relentless adversities they encountered. The term is used to illustrate the unpredictability and the life-threatening conditions of their environment.

💡Cannibalism

Cannibalism, the act of consuming human flesh, is a shocking and desperate measure the survivors took to stay alive, as detailed in the script. This extreme action underscores the severity of their situation and the moral dilemmas they faced. It is a key concept that adds a layer of complexity to the narrative, challenging viewers to consider the limits of survival ethics.

💡Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness is a condition that affects those at high elevations, causing symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, and difficulty breathing. The script mentions this as one of the health issues the survivors faced due to the high altitude of the crash site. It is a significant factor in the video, highlighting the physical toll the environment took on the passengers.

💡Rescue Helicopters

Rescue helicopters symbolize the arrival of help and the end of the survivors' ordeal. The script describes their deployment as the culmination of the desperate efforts made by the survivors to signal for help and the eventual discovery of their location. This term is crucial to the video's resolution, marking the moment of salvation and the miraculous survival of the passengers.

💡Time Management

Time Management, though seemingly unrelated to the main narrative, is introduced in the script as a segue to promote a related course. It serves as a thematic reminder of the value of time, especially in the context of the survivors' struggle where every moment could mean the difference between life and death. The term is used to draw a parallel between the urgency of the survivors' situation and the importance of making the most of one's time.

💡Miracle of the Andes

The Miracle of the Andes is the term used to refer to the remarkable story of survival of the passengers of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. The script uses this term to encapsulate the extraordinary nature of their ordeal and the unexpected outcome. It is a key phrase that encapsulates the video's message of hope, resilience, and the human spirit's ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

Highlights

On 12th October 1972, a chartered aircraft carrying 45 passengers, including rugby players and their families, took off from Uruguay for Santiago, Chile.

The flight encountered a storm over the Andes Mountains, forcing the plane to land in Mendoza, Argentina, and attempt the journey again the next day.

On the second attempt, severe turbulence and poor visibility due to clouds led to the plane crashing into the Andes, with only 33 of the 45 passengers surviving the initial impact.

The survivors, including two medical students, Roberto Canessa and Gustavo Zerbino, began assessing injuries and providing aid to the injured.

Search and rescue operations were launched immediately but failed to locate the crashed plane due to its white color blending in with the snow and the remote location.

After an initial period of hope, the survivors faced harsh conditions, including sub-zero temperatures, lack of food and water, and the realization that they were far off course.

In a desperate bid for survival, the survivors resorted to consuming the bodies of those who had perished in the crash.

The survivors discovered a transistor radio, which allowed them to listen to broadcasts and learn that the search for them had been called off.

Fernando Parrado, upon waking from a coma, joined the efforts to keep the group alive and later played a crucial role in seeking help.

The survivors experienced an avalanche that buried them under snow, further reducing their numbers and resources.

A small group, including Parrado and Canessa, decided to leave the crash site in search of help, embarking on a treacherous journey through the Andes.

The group found remnants of the plane with supplies, including a two-way radio, which they attempted to use to send an SOS signal.

Despite the challenges, including snow blindness and the harsh mountain terrain, the survivors persevered, driven by the will to live.

Parrado and Canessa, after a grueling trek, encountered Chilean farmer Sergio Catalan, who helped them send a message and alerted the authorities.

A rescue operation was successfully launched, and on 22nd December 1972, 16 survivors were finally rescued after 70 days of struggle in the Andes.

The story of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 and its survivors is known as the Miracle of the Andes, a testament to human resilience and the will to survive.

Transcripts

Hello, friends!

12th October, 1972

A small chartered aircraft took off from Uruguay, South America.

This aircraft was going to Santiago, the capital of Chile.

Carrying some rugby players, tall and broad.

There were 45 passengers in total,

some of the players' family and friends had tagged along.

This flight was not going to be long.

Usually, it takes only 3 hours to go from Uruguay to Santiago.

But on the way, you come across the huge Andes Mountains.

The Andes Mountain Range in South America

is the world's longest mountain range.

Other than the Himalayan mountains,

the highest mountains are found here.

These beautiful mountains become devastating for the passengers in our story.

That day, on 12th October,

there was a storm in the mountains.

because of which, the plane couldn't keep flying.

The pilots then decided

to stop midway

and try to fly again the next day.

The plane landed in Mendoza, Argentina for the night.

The next day, on October 13th,

the plane took off again at 2:18 p.m.

The pilots ensured that the weather had cleared up.

So it was a smooth-sailing flight for the next hour.

At 3:21 p.m., the pilots start descending the plane.

The plane was quite close to Santiago

but was still in the mountains.

Since there are high mountains right next to the city.

While descending, suddenly there was terrible turbulence.

The plane started shaking horizontally.

Around this time, clouds gathered around the plane.

Nothing was visible except the clouds.

Suddenly, the alarms in the plane went off,

and the warning lights began to flash.

No one could understand why.

The rugby players in the passenger seats weren't scared.

They didn't take this turbulence seriously.

Amid jokes, a passenger looked out of the window

and saw the clouds clearing up.

But then he noticed that they were perilously close to a mountain.

As soon as the aircraft moved out of the clouds,

the pilots realized that they were moving towards a huge rock.

Immediately in a panic,

they try to lift the plane up.

The aircraft's ground collision alarm was ringing loudly.

Pilots put in maximum power into gaining altitude.

To fly over the mountain safely.

But unfortunately, it was too late.

The rear of the aircraft collided with the mountain while going up.

The entire rear portion of the plane separateed.

The two rows of seats at the back

literally, flew out of the plane.

Three passengers flew away with it and disappeared.

The plane kept flying upwards for a few more seconds

but then suddenly, it started to fall down.

After a few seconds, another collision happened.

The left wing of the plane broke.

Some more passengers flew out of the plane and fell down.

Now, only the front portion of the plane remained

and it fell into a glacier.

It slid down the glacier at a speed of 350 km/h

and finally, it crashed after dropping 700 meters.

Everything in the plane was destroyed.

The passenger seats were torn apart from the base of the plane.

The cockpit of the plane was completely crushed

and the pilots were killed immediately.

This aircraft lay broken on an unknown mountain in the Andes

at a height of 3,570 meters.

Surprisingly, out of the 45 people on board,

33 were still alive.

They had somehow survived this crash.

The problem was that many of them were injured

and no one knew where they were stuck.

It was later found that this plane

was 80 km off from its planned route.

And this painful story of survival

had just begun, friends.

Neither those people could have imagined at that time,

nor you can imagine now,

what happened to these survivors next.

This is the heart-wrenching story

of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571.

Let's know about it in today's video.

"Plane crashed in Andes Mountains.

45 persons were aboard.

Given up for d*ad."

"Survival fascinates people."

"All of the passengers were given up for d*ad."

"It became known as the Miracle of the Andes."

Right after this crash,

there were two survivors who weren't seriously injured.

First, 19-year-old Roberto Canessa

and the other, 20-year-old Gustavo Zerbino.

Since both of them were medical students,

they immediately started checking

who was alive and how to help the injured.

They saw that many passengers

had suffered severe injuries.

One of them was 23-year-old Fernando Parrado

who was in a coma due to a skull fracture.

These two medical students tried their best

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 aircraft were deployed to search for the survivors.

They tried to find the crash site from dusk till night,

but unfortunately, they didn't find anything.

The rescue service officers concluded after hearing the radio transmissions

that the aircraft must have crashed in a remote and inaccessible area.

The problem was that the aircraft was white in colour

and it had crashed in a place where

there was white snow and ice all around.

It was very difficult to locate it in the snowy mountains.

On the night of 13th October,

the remaining passengers were very hopeful.

They hoped that if they would somehow spent a night there

and find a way to escape the cold

then someone would find them the next day.

Five injured passengers couldn't survive that snowy night.

The number of survivors fell from 33 to 28.

These survivors used the remaining body of the plane as a shelter.

They used luggage, seats, and snow

to close the rear of the plane

so that they could stay warm inside.

The next day, on 14th October,

11 different aircraft from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay,

were put into search operation.

The search area they chose was correct.

The location of the crash site was in that search area.

But still, they were not able to find the crash site.

Survivors tried to use lipstick to write SOS on the plane's roof.

They started writing SOS

but soon realized that

they didn't have enough lipstick to write all the letters.

Then they tried to use suitcases to make a big cross in the snow

so that search aircraft flying above could see them.

But soon they realized that this was not working.

That day, they saw not one, not two, but three aircraft flying over them.

They screamed, waved their hands and tried their best

to make the aircraft notice them,

but they were unsuccessful.

Another day passed in this attempt.

The next day, 15th October,

the survivors realized that

they needed water to stay alive.

A passenger, named Fito Strauch,

found a way to get water.

He used a metal sheet as a solar collector

so that the sunrays could be concentrated

to melt the snow.

And he collected water droplets in empty wine bottles.

Apart from this, many passengers used the seat cushions like snowshoes

and the wool in the seat covers was used

to protect them from the cold.

The next day, on 16th October,

three days after the crash,

Fernando Parrado woke up from his coma.

As soon as he regained consciousness,

he saw that his mother passed away in the crash

and his 19-year-old sister was severely injured.

Parrado tried his best to keep his sister alive,

he brought food and water for her.

But as the days went by,

8 days after the crash,

his sister succumbed to her injuries.

Such accidents remind us

how uncertain life is,

and how unpredictable it is.

We don't know how long we will live.

That's why it is said,

Live every moment.

Live every day, every moment in your life,

because who knows, tomorrow may not come.

But there's also the question of

how?

In our daily lives,

considering other tensions like work,

how can one find time for things one likes?

This is what I have explained

in my Time Management course.

In this course, I have told you step-by-step techniques

on how you can not only double your productivity

but also double your happiness.

The same tricks which I use in my life

and because of which I can make so many videos

while travelling around the world.

If you haven't joined this course yet,

then do try it

because the people who took this course

found it to be life-changing.

Some of the reviews can be seen on the screen

and if you are interested in joining,

then I would like to give a special discount for you in this video.

The first 400 people who use the coupon code LOST40

will get 40% off on this course.

The link is available in the description and pinned comment

or you can scan this QR code

to go to the link of this course.

So, do join it

because I really think that this course

can change your life.

Just remember one thing,

the course is in English.

Now, let's get back to the topic.

Most of the passengers were from coastal areas.

Before this, they had never seen snow.

And now, suddenly, in the cold of -30° Celsius,

at such a high altitude without proper food and water,

they were somehow surviving.

In these bad conditions, there was another problem.

Snow blindness.

When the ultraviolet rays of the sun reflect on the snow and ice in the mountains,

it can damage your eyes.

This is called snow blindness.

These survivors had only 3 pairs of sunglasses.

On 21st October, 8 days after the crash,

search and rescue teams gave up.

They believed that since they could not find any signs of survivors in those 8 days,

there was no point in continuing the search operation.

There was little chance that anyone could have survived after so many days.

So, after 142 hours of search operation,

this search operation was officially stopped.

Meanwhile, the survivors found a transistor radio

among the seats of the aircraft.

A survivor rugby player, Roy Harley,

was also an electronics enthusiast.

So he tried to switch on the radio.

He made a long antennae by improvising.

And because of his efforts, finally, the radio started working.

This radio could communicate one way only.

The survivors could hear things

but could not send any messages.

They turned on the radio 11 days after the crash

and then they came to know that

the search operation had been cancelled.

Their hearts were completely broken.

Some people start crying after hearing this news.

Some people clasped their hands and started praying to God.

"Feeling that their world is alive

and they consider you dead."

Fernando Parrado was the only one who did not react much after hearing this news.

Because he was planning something else.

By the 11th day, survivors were running out of food.

They didn't have much to begin with.

There were only 8 chocolate bars,

1 tin of mussels,

3 small jars of jam,

a jar of almonds.

A box of peanuts, some dates, candies, dried plums

and a few bottles of wine.

A few days after the crash, they started rationing food.

They ate very little each day.

Parrado ate a chocolate-covered peanut for 3 days.

Just one peanut.

But rationing was not enough.

Because the food was almost over.

There were no trees or plants at an altitude of 3,800 meters,

nor were there any animals that could be killed and eaten.

By the 11th day, the food was completely gone

and some people tried to eat some parts of the plane.

They tried eating the cotton in the seats

and the leather on the seats.

But this made them more sick.

In such a situation, when there was no option other than starving to d*ath,

these survivors did something

that will shock you.

To stay alive, they decided

there was no option other than eating the d*ad bodies of their friends and family.

It was not an easy decision to make.

Because most of the people who were k*lled in this crash

were friends, classmates, family members, or relatives.

"We have to eat.

and the only probable things

were the d*ad bodies of the people that were in this plane."

Since Canessa came up with this idea,

he was the first to try it.

Some others tried to, but they couldn't.

They refused then.

But 2 days later,

with no other option,

finally, even they chose to eat human meat.

On 29th October, 16 days after the crash,

this food source was also depleting rapidly for the survivors.

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 grumble.

It turned out to be an avalanche.

Large amount of snow was descending so fast from the mountain top,

that it filled the broken plane with snow.

Eight people were lost in the snow and suffocated.

Only 19 survivors remained.

"Ted, Roberto, you had it. You're going to d!e.

That's it.

A very nice sensation of heat between my legs

because I was peeing on myself

and saying that's it."

These remaining 19 people were also trapped in a small space under the snow.

Parrado used a metal pole

to make a hole in the snow,

to allow some ventilation.

After working hard for two days,

they dug a tunnel under the snow

and with great difficulty, they managed to get to the surface.

As soon as they got out,

they saw a snowstorm was coming

and it would be prudent to go back into the snow cave to survive.

For the next three days, the remaining survivors,

somehow managed to stay in the cramped space.

3 days later, they went back up to the surface

and the weather was clear.

After coming out, the survivors realized that

no one was coming to save them.

If they wanted to stay alive,

they would need to put in the efforts themselves.

There was no point in sitting at the crash site, waiting for help.

They needed to try their best till the last breath.

Canessa, Parrado, and Vizintin

were among the strongest survivors.

They decided together

to give them more food and the warmest clothes

and they would try to walk around looking for help.

The first task was to estimate the location.

Before the crash,

the co-pilot had stated that

their aircraft had passed through Curico.

So they estimated that

if they walked a few kilometres to the west

they would definitely reach some countryside areas of Chile.

But their estimation was extremely wrong.

Actually, the co-pilot didn't know

where he was taking the plane.

In reality, their crash site

was 89 km east,

in the middle of the Andes mountains.

Still, unaware of this,

they rested for a few days to build up their energy.

On November 15, 33 days after the crash,

these three people set out to find help.

After travelling for hours towards the east,

they found the rear piece of their aircraft.

It was the part of the plane that had broken apart first.

Inside it, they found many suitcases,

boxes of chocolates, three meat patties,

a bottle of rum, extra clothes,

comic books, and some medicines.

And along with this, they found

the aircraft's two-way radio system.

A radio that can not only facilitate incoming communication,

but can also send messages.

They decided to spend the night there.

The next day of the expedition,

they walk a little further east,

but after discussing it, they believed that

they should try to turn on the aircraft's radio.

They decided to get some batteries out of the main body of the aircraft

and then try to start the radio.

They would be able to send out an SOS call.

They found 24 kg batteries in the tail section,

but it was very heavy.

They could not carry it back to the main body crash site.

So they decided to try to turn it on right there.

They went back and took the help of Roy Harley

the one who had some knowledge of electronics

but unfortunately, this plan didn't work.

The thing was that

the aircraft's electrical system

worked with a 115V AC

and their battery was a 24V DC.

They had no means to connect them.

They tried their best to start the radio for a few days

but soon realized that there was no other way.

To survive, they now had to start walking Westwards.

On 11th December, 59 days after the crash,

an avalanche hit.

Three more survivors were k!lled in it.

"I was trapped completely by the storm, the avalanche,

it was the most d*adly silence that you may imagine.

I couldn't move..."

Only 16 remained.

To climb the mountains in the west,

they needed a way to sleep at night.

How could they survive the cold nights of -30° Celsius?

Among the survivors was an 18-year-old boy,

Carlos Miguel Rodriguez.

He remembered that his mother had taught him to sew with needles.

He was carrying his needles and sewing kit with him.

His idea was to stitch different pieces of clothing

to make a big sleeping bag.

"I had the idea that with the insulation,

you can make a sleeping bag.

But I not only had the idea,

I made it myself."

They did this.

The next day, December 12,

two months had passed since the day this crash happened.

These three brave men, Parrado, Canessa, and Vizintin,

set out without any mountaineering gear

to climb the glacier.

"The only certain thing was to the West was Chile."

Going westward meant that

they would have to climb the mountain first

before going down.

They still believed that

they were only a few kilometres away.

So they hoped that they would find help by walking for 2-3 days.

So they packed a 3-day supply of meat.

"And you can imagine

without any skill, without any training,

you're like a child!

You are confronted with a snowstorm,

you try to go straight up,

you might be using your hands and your feet,

you're slipping and sliding.

And with every step that you go up,

you slide back half a step."

To protect himself against the cold, Parrado wore three pairs of jeans.

He was also wearing 3 sweaters on top of his t-shirt,

and 4 pairs of socks on his feet.

He was also wearing a plastic shopping bag over the socks.

The cold was so bad.

They had no technical gear,

no map, no compass,

and no climbing experience.

And at this height, the air gets quite thin,

and one starts feeling the lack of oxygen.

But despite that,

they kept moving forward towards the mountain.

The sleeping bag they had stitched

was useful at night.

During the day, they kept moving forward, taking slow steps.

The three of them, in that one sleeping bag,

slept as close to each other as possible.

And as soon as the sun rose, they started walking.

Gradually, they kept moving forward together.

The second day, the third day,

and on the morning of the fourth day, they realized that

their estimation was grossly wrong.

Ahead, they could see no end to their journey.

Because they had little to no food,

Vizintin decided to return to the crash site

and only the other two would go ahead

so that less food was needed.

On 15th December, Vizintin started going back

which was easier

because it was all downhill.

He used an aircraft seat as a sleigh

and within an hour he reached the crash site.

It took them three days to climb this mountain

but in just one hour,

he was back at the crash site.

Parrado and Canessa kept climbing the mountain.

After three hours,

they reached the peak of the mountain

and saw that all around them,

there was only mountains as far as they could see.

There was nothing except the snowy mountains.

"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° around us,

to the horizon, all around us."

With great difficulty, Parrado tried to find something else to see.

On the far western horizon,

they saw two mountains peaks

without snow.

They assumed that they should keep travelling in that direction.

They couldn't give up.

Parrado and Canessa keep hiking for many days.

Finally, they reached a valley.

A valley where they could see a river flowing.

In this situation, reaching the river was a great relief.

Because while travelling downstream the river,

it was easy to find a downhill path.

They kept on walking and walking.

And finally, after trekking for 9 days,

on 20th December,

they could find some presence of humans.

They could see some cows in the fields.

They were so tired by this point

that they couldn't walk farther.

Right then, on the other side of the river,

"Look, a man on a horse!"

They saw 3 men on horses.

Parrado tried to shout.

But the river was so loud, that those people couldn't hear him.

But by chance, one of them spotted Parrado and Canessa.

He looked at them and shouted back.

"Tomorrow!"

He said that he would be back the next day.

The next day, the man comes back on horseback

and this time brought some paper and pencils with him.

He attached the paper and pencil to a stone with a thread

and threw it to the other side of the river.

For the first time, Parrado had the opportunity to send his message to the world.

Parado wrote in Spanish on the paper,

"I come from a plane that fell in the mountains."

That he was from Uruguay.

And had been walking for 10 days.

And that his injured friends were at the crash site.

He wrote that they needed help urgently,

but didn't know how to get help.

They didn't have any food.

They were weak.

And they didn't have it in them to walk anymore.

He asked to be saved.

He asked where they were.

On the other hand, the person who received this message

was a farmer from Chile,

Sergio Catalan.

He read this note

and told him with gestures that he understood.

After talking to his two friends,

it turned out that they did remember vaguely.

A few months ago, they had heard on the news that a plane crashed.

And when these friends realized this,

they were shocked.

They couldn't believe that there were survivors of a 2-month-old plane crash.

Sergio threw a piece of bread to the other side of the river

and for the next 10 hours,

on a horse, he rode towards west.

They were still so far from any village or human settlement.

Finally, when he reached the nearest city,

the army command was informed about this

and he contacted the army headquarters in Santiago.

Meanwhile, the farmers brought Parrado and Canessa to Los Maitenes on horses.

Where they finally get some rest.

It was found that on sheer will,

they had hiked 61 km on foot over the last 10 days.

Canessa had lost half of his body weight.

He weighed only 44 kgs then.

As soon as other people got to know about their story,

it became international news.

This heart-wrenching story was truly unbelievable.

The Chilean Air Force sends 3 helicopters to immediately rescue the survivors.

Army officers interviewed Parrado and Canessa

to get information about the location.

Parrado had brought the pilot's flight chart with him

and he had plotted the places where they were hiking.

Army officers took him with them on the helicopter

to locate the crash site.

With Parrado's help, the location of the remaining survivors

was finally discovered by the army commanders.

On 22nd December 1972,

70 days after the crash,

two search and rescue helicopters finally reached

the survivors to save their lives.

In total, 16 survivors were rescued.

They were in a terrible condition.

Altitude sickness, dehydration,

broken bones, malnutrition.

But all of them recovered.

This story is a lesson to the world about hope.

If you have decided to do something

and you have patience and humanity,

then nothing is impossible.

If you want, you can achieve things

that you can never even dream of.

As they say, "Where there's a will, there's a way."

That's why there is another name for this disaster

the Miracle of the Andes.

If you liked the video, I have made many more videos

on the stories of such plane crashes.

Like this one, India's most horrific plane crash.

You can click here to watch it.

Thank you very much!