MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – A survivor of the 1972 Andes plane crash shared his harrowing experience and revealed that the worst part of the ordeal wasn’t eating the flesh of his deceased friends to stay alive. Roberto Canessa, now 70, was one of the 16 survivors of the crash that occurred in the Andes mountains, where rescue came after 72 grueling nights in the freezing wilderness.
Canessa, along with his companions, resorted to consuming the remains of their deceased fellow passengers to survive, shedding light on the extreme measures they had to take in order to stay alive. However, Canessa emphasized that the avalanche and being buried alive for several minutes was in fact the most traumatic aspect of their survival story.
Appearing on a recent episode of Good Morning Britain, Canessa expressed that the sequence of events that occurred during their ordeal was what made their story so extraordinary and sparked curiosity in people, resulting in the question of how they managed to survive. He credited the fact that they were young rugby players and university students, reiterating the importance of each individual’s contribution to maintaining a sense of society under dire circumstances.
Canessa further explained that the survivors had no other choice but to rely on each other, emphasizing the absence of external assistance and the need for improvisation in order to adapt to their new environment. This experience of survival forced them to form a new society, using their diverse skills and attributes to navigate the treacherous conditions and make the best out of a catastrophic situation.
This latest revelation from Canessa offers a different perspective on the well-known survival story, shedding light on the oft-overlooked aspects of the ordeal. Canessa’s resilience and ability to persevere through extreme conditions continue to inspire and captivate audiences, as the remarkable tale of survival takes on new meaning for audiences around the world.