How 16 People Survived 72 Days in the Andes | True Story

72 days. 45 people. One crashed plane in the frozen Andes. Only 16 survived. On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed high in the Andes Mountains while carrying a rugby team, friends and family members traveling from Uruguay toward Chile. The survivors were stranded in one of the most extreme environments on Earth — surrounded by freezing temperatures, massive mountains and almost no food or water. They expected rescue. But days passed. Then they learned that the search for the missing aircraft had been called off. With their food running out and temperatures dropping below freezing, the survivors were forced to make impossible decisions just to stay alive. An avalanche later buried the wreckage and killed more survivors. After weeks in the mountains, Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa decided to leave the crash site and cross the Andes on foot to find help. What happened next became one of the most extraordinary true survival stories ever documented. After 72 days in the Andes, 16 people were rescued alive.9 This documentary tells the story of the 1972 Andes plane crash, the survivors, the avalanche, their struggle for food and water, and the incredible journey that finally led to their rescue. In this documentary: The 1972 Andes plane crash 45 people trapped in the mountains The first days after the crash The search and rescue operation Survival in extreme cold The food crisis The avalanche The decision to leave the crash site Nando Parrado and Roberto Canessa's journey The final rescue How 16 people survived 72 days in the Andes This is a true story of survival, endurance and human resilience. Subscribe to Shivan Decode for more real-life survival stories, extreme survival documentaries and incredible human stories. 72 days trapped in the Andes 72 days in the Andes Andes survival story Andes plane crash 1972 Andes plane crash 1972 Andes disaster 16 survivors Andes 16 people survived Andes Andes plane crash survivors true survival story