ANDES MOUNTAINS — 1972 · Major Tragedy

The Andes Tragedy — Flight 571

On 13 October 1972, a Uruguayan Air Force plane carrying the Old Christians Club rugby team and their relatives from Montevideo to Santiago for a match crashed into a ridge in the Andes Mountains and broke apart. Of the 45 people aboard, 12 died instantly in the crash, and 17 more died in the following weeks from injuries, extreme cold, and an avalanche. Search efforts failed because the wreckage's white fuselage blended with the snow, and were called off after eight days; the survivors learned of this from a makeshift radio. They spent 72 days at an altitude of roughly 12,000 feet, without supplies, in temperatures far below freezing. Eventually, two of them set out on a grueling 10-day trek to seek help and managed to reach a mounted herdsman. The rescue by helicopter of the 16 survivors on 22-23 December led the episode to become known as the 'Miracle of the Andes.' The official investigation attributed the crash to a navigational error by the co-pilot that led to a premature descent.

Date

1972

Place

Mendoza, Argentina, Andes Mountains, AR

Category

Major Tragedy

Case Status

Solved

Coordinates

-34.7581, -70.2900 ↗

🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.