7. Rescue of Flight 571 Survivors & Left-Overs
Flight 571 – a private charter for Uruguay’s 1972 rugby team members and their families – crashed into an icy mountain peak, 13,900 feet above ground and miles away from civilization. Though half of them died upon impact, 24 of the passengers survived the crash. However, the next few weeks of their lives were filled with more horror and gore then anyone should see in a lifetime.
On October 29, eight went missing after an avalanche. On December 2, two of the survivors decided to venture down the mountain in hopes of finding help. Two weeks later, they reached a nearby village and, on December 23, the others were airlifted to safety.
At first, all of the survivors refused to discuss the ordeal, saying they just want to forget it ever happened. Years later, some finally spoke out about the cannibalism they had to commit to survive for so long. It turns out they even rationed their deceased friends and family members by un-froze one body at a time “so the flesh doesn’t spoil.”
Kind of makes you wonder if there was ever an avalanche, doesn’t it?