On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying 45 people crashed deep in the Andes.

What followed became one of the most extraordinary survival stories ever recorded.

The survivors faced freezing temperatures, almost no food and no clear way out. After 72 days, only 16 people were rescued.

A Flight Turned Into a Fight for Survival

Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was carrying members of a rugby team, friends and relatives from Uruguay to Chile when it struck the mountains and broke apart.

Those who survived used the damaged fuselage as shelter from the extreme cold.

At first, they expected rescuers to find them quickly. But the white wreckage was almost invisible against the snow.

Then they heard devastating news on a radio: the official search had been suspended.

Hunger Forced an Unthinkable Decision

Food from the plane quickly ran out.

There were no animals, plants or other sources of food at that altitude.

Eventually, the survivors were forced to eat the bodies of those who had died.

The decision caused deep moral and emotional conflict, but they understood that without food, none of them would survive.

The TIME account of the true story behind “Society of the Snow” describes how the group viewed the choice as an act of survival under impossible conditions.

Then an Avalanche Struck

Weeks after the crash, an avalanche buried the fuselage and killed eight more people.

By then, the survivors realized waiting for rescue could mean dying in the mountains.

Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa eventually set out on foot to find help.

Weak, underfed and without proper climbing equipment, they crossed the Andes for days before finally encountering Chilean muleteer Sergio Catalán.

Their message led rescuers back to the crash site.

16 Survivors Came Home

Helicopters reached the group on December 22 and 23, 1972.

In total, 16 of the 45 people aboard survived.

The story became known as the Miracle of the Andes.

More than five decades later, it continues to fascinate audiences. Netflix’s “Society of the Snow” recorded more than 100 million views in the first half of 2024, according to Netflix’s official engagement report.

The story remains unforgettable because it is not simply about a plane crash.

It is about how far people can go when survival becomes the only choice.