The temperatures that Andean survivors faced that inspired the film ‘The Snow Society’

“If there is hell, I lived it in the mountain range,” Roy Harley declared of the experience he and fifteen other survivors had after Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the Andes Mountains. the premiere of the film ‘The Snow Society’.

It was on October 13, 1972 when the plane crashed in the Valley of Tears, where they waited for 72 days for rescue while surrounded by snow and extreme temperatures.

What happens to the body when ingesting human flesh, like the survivors of the Andean tragedy, myths and reality

The temperatures that endured those of ‘The Snow Society’

When temperatures drop below 25°C, the human body begins to show signs of frostbite in the arms, legs, nose and ears, a situation that worsens when outdoors and exposed to the wind. According to Meteored, necrosis and death are practically a reality within twenty minutes.

It is said that during the time they were in the mountain range, the survivors of ‘The Snow Society’ withstood temperatures of up to 30°C below zero by taking refuge in the wreckage of the plane and protecting themselves with some they had on board. hand and are all close together to maintain body heat.

However, those who have seen the feature film directed by Juan Antonio Bayona remain amazed by the resilience of the 16 people who lived despite the extreme conditions of the Valley of Tears, where an avalanche even buried them under snow.

“I think I’m going crazy because I’m thinking about eating the bodies of our friends”: the dramatic testimonies of survivors of the Andean tragedy that inspired the film “The Snow Society”

The wounds, the panic and the sadness of losing their loved ones were also part of this experience that seriously affected their lives. “We were surrounded by death, our friends were ice statues, life was action, movement, rebellion; suicidal had remained silent,” remembers another survivor, Gustavo Zerbino.