The Netflix premiere “The Snow Society” is the latest adaptation of the true story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, an accident that killed 29 people more than 50 years ago in 1972.
The plane, which departed from Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, was carrying 45 people: members of the Old Christians Club rugby team, as well as their friends and family. The team would play in Santiago, Chile.
The plane crashed in the middle of the Argentine Andes and the survivors endured difficult circumstances until they were rescued. They even had to eat human flesh.
The film tells the story of the accident and how the survivors, trapped in the snow, endured hunger and freezing temperatures for almost two months. (Netflix/Reproduction)
The Spanish film topped Netflix's mostwatched films in its debut week with 22.9 million views. The film is directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and inspired by the book of the same name by Pablo Vierci, a childhood friend of the young people on the flight. The film received 8 nominations for the Goya Prize (the country's most important audiovisual award) and was expected to compete for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Discover the real story behind the screen:
The accident
The passengers had already made a forced stop in Mendoza, Argentina, due to a storm. The next day the weather conditions did not improve, but the plane still took off.
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The clouds were thick in the region and blocked the pilots' visibility. So navigation essentially depended on the aircraft's instruments. Since the copilot believed he was close to his destination, he asked Mendoza for permission to descend. The airport, whose radars were also damaged, admitted.
On the way down, the plane encountered severe turbulence. When it came out of the clouds, they didn't see the airport runway. On the contrary: they came across the Andes.
Only 33 of the 45 passengers survived the crash. Those who stayed went through hell in the months that followed.
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The biggest challenge was undoubtedly surviving the snowstorms and freezing temperatures in the Andes. It was almost 30°C and there was a constant risk of frost. The group members hit each other (which activated blood circulation in the affected areas) to stay warm.
What made survival even more difficult was the food shortage. They found some supplies on the plane like cookies, chocolate and drinks, but it didn't last long enough. To quench their thirst, they drank melted snow water.
The extreme cold and hunger gradually killed the survivors six more died in the following days and another eight were buried in an avalanche. Those who remained resorted to the flesh of the corpses to lengthen their days.
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Almost two months after the accident, the number of survivors had already fallen to 16. They became weaker and weaker and ran out of time: either they left the shelter to seek help or they all died in the snow.
Two survivors, one of the few still able to walk, set out on the rescue mission: the plan was to climb a mountain and hope to find a village that offered help.
It was about 60 km that they covered in ten days until they saw another person. The man brought help and the two directed authorities to the remaining survivors. A helicopter rescued the 16 young people from the snow.
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impact
The story of the “Miracle in the Andes” quickly spread around the world, both the moving account of the rescue and the astonishing case of cannibalism. The Uruguayans defended their actions, saying it was the only way to survive in the extreme conditions.
“The accident is very well known in Uruguay, especially in the rugby world, and above all it teaches us that we should never give up,” said Uruguayan Emiliano Caffera, coach of the Brazilian rugby team. “The respect and care they had for each other is admirable because we are talking about decisions that put their own lives at risk. So they were very organized, disciplined and did great teamwork whose success was based on perseverance and love.”
The survivors wrote several books. Photos of the accident and letters written by them and their deceased companions also tell the story of the tragedy.
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