The Survivors of the Andean Tragedy 51 Years Later: The Untold Story in The Snow Society

In recent weeks, Juan Antonio Bayona’s ‘The Snow Society’ has become one of Netflix’s most impactful films by reliving on screen the tragedy of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed alongside its 45 passengers in the Andes Mountains.

Players from the Old Christians Club rugby team, family members, other passengers and flight crew were victims of the accident that occurred on October 13, 1972, from which only 16 people survived. 51 years later, this story of resilience, loss and even cannibalism continues to impact thousands of people, especially when you consider the lives each of the survivors had afterwards, as published by Hello.

These are the shocking, real images of the Andean tragedy and how ‘The Snow Society’ showed it

The untold story in The Snow Society

In 2016, Pablo Vierci and Roberto Canessa co-wrote the book ‘I Had to Survive’ to recount their experiences on the frozen mountain range, a work that inspired the film recently added to the Netflix catalog.

As El Mundo published, this is not the first production to recount the accident, as in 1976 the Mexican production “Survivientes de los Andes” was launched, while in 1993 “Viven!” was created. and “Viven: Miracle in the Andes,” the latter with an introspection of the interviews and research conducted for the second.

How many Uruguayans survived the accident in the Andes depicted in ‘The Snow Society’

What happened to the survivors of Los Andes?

According to La República, Canessa, the young medical student who walked through the Andes with Fernando Parrado until he found help, is now a successful pediatric cardiologist. In the case of Parrado, he became a television producer and published his book ‘Miracle in the Andes’.

Javier Methol told his own story through the Viven Foundation, but died in 2015 of cancer and José Luis Inciarte of an unclear illness. Carlos Paéz, Pedro Algorta, Daniel Fernández, Ramón Sabella and Álvaro Mangino became entrepreneurs, others devoted themselves to different careers, according to Infobae.

Many of the survivors showed their support for “The Snow Society” and attended its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.