The harrowing story of a 1972 plane crash in the Andes mountains, which left survivors forced to resort to cannibalism, will be detailed in an upcoming Netflix film – one filmed at the site of the horrific ordeal.
In October 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 took off from Montevideo, Uruguay, en route to Santiago, Chile, crashed into a mountain, severing both wings and tail before sliding off a glacier and landing in the snow.
Now, a new Netflix film, “Society of Snow,” will be released on January 4, telling the harrowing story as it was shot at the actual crash site, 10,000 feet above sea level.
In 1972, 33 passengers initially survived the crash, but had to resort to eating loved ones to stay alive while waiting for rescue. Two passengers, Robert Canessa and his friend Nando Parrado, hiked the mountain for days to get help.
The two have detailed the ordeal several times, including ahead of the new Netflix film. They recalled the moment when they decided to leave the place in search of rescue.
“We may be walking to our death, but I would rather walk to my death than wait for it to come to me,” Parrado told Canessa at the summit.
In October 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 took off from Montevideo, Uruguay, for Santiago, Chile, and crashed in the Andes Mountains.
A new Netflix film, “Society of Snow,” will be released on January 4 and will tell the harrowing story as it was shot at the actual crash site, 10,000 feet in the air. Pictured: A scene from the film describing the survivors in the mountain
Both wings of the plane were severed, along with its tail, before it slid off a glacier and crashed into the snow. Of the 45 passengers, 16 survived
'You and I are friends, Nando. We've been through so much. Now let's die together,” Canessa replied.
On top of the bitterly cold conditions with makeshift gear to keep them warm. When they found help and rescuers reached the crash site, only 16 passengers were left alive.
In his book 'I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives', Canessa describes the ominous decision he had to make at the age of 19 to resort to cannibalism.
He said he and other survivors would cut the flesh from the dead bodies “under much torment and soul-searching” as their hopes of rescue drastically diminished.
'We placed the thin strips of frozen flesh on a piece of sheet metal. Each of us finally ate our piece when we could bear it,” he wrote.
Canessa, now 70 years old, is a Uruguayan pediatric cardiologist who participates in annual reunions with other crash survivors and their families.
He recently told the Today Show about his decision to eat other people: “I thought if I died, I would be proud that my body would be used for someone else.”
An earlier edit of the infamous crash was featured in the 1993 film 'Alive', but unlike that film, the latest Netflix version was shot right where it all happened.
“We shot at 40,000 feet, the exact same spot where the plane crashed, at the same time of year,” director JA Bayona told Today.
Robert Canessa, one of the survivors, revealed that those left behind were forced to turn to cannibalism to survive
During the first night, five passengers died from the icy snow-capped mountain and the remaining survivors had little to no food.
Canessa told People it was difficult for him to watch the latest movie because he was “immersed in that place again.”
“I was back at the fuselage,” Canessa added.
At the time of the crash, the surviving passengers created a makeshift shelter in the fuselage or main structure of the crashed aircraft.
They crammed themselves into straight spaces of about 8 to 8 feet and removed broken seats to use them to cover the open end of what was left of the plane, Canessa described in his book.
During the first night, five passengers died from the icy snow-capped mountain and the remaining survivors had little to no food.
According to Fox newsAll the passengers had to eat were eight chocolate bars, a can of mussels, a few dates, a can of almonds, three small jars of jam, prunes, sweets and several bottles of wine.
In a biography of Parrado, he revealed that he ate one chocolate-covered almond over the course of three days. There was also no vegetation or animals available to hunt for food.
“We filmed at 40,000 feet, the exact same spot where the plane crashed, at the same time of year,” director JA Bayona told Today of the latest film adaptation
The remaining survivors were rescued after 72 days in the bitter cold after Canessa and Parrado hiked more than 4,000 feet to a higher point for help. Pictured: Enzo Vogrincic, who played Canessa in the upcoming Netflix film
The survivors soon learned that rescue efforts to find them had been called off in the first week after they managed to get a small transistor radio working in the shoddy plane.
In the first 17 days of the long-awaited rescue, an avalanche struck the already destroyed aircraft and claimed the lives of eight more passengers.
Those who survived the avalanche were trapped in a small room with the dead bodies for three days. Canessa revealed that during this period they resorted to eating the deceased passengers.
Canessa and Parrado then decided to climb more than 4,000 feet to a higher point for three days in an attempt to get help.
With barely any protection from the freezing weather, they came across a group of Chilean shepherds who helped them get rescued by the Chilean Air Force.
“I was given a chance at a second life,” Canessa told A German exhaust in 2022. 'I thought I was going to die, because you definitely die in a plane that flies straight into a mountain. I never thought I could save myself, which is why the motto is “72 days. As long as there is life and hope, maybe there will be a tomorrow!” became the driving force in my life.'