Rugby Team Crash Lands On Andes And Faces The Unthinkable Taboo | Trapped | Wonder

my god he's opening his eyes never [Music] [Music] on October 13 1972 a Uruguayan rugby team is traveling from Montevideo to Santiago Chile for a tournament the plane hits turbulence the pilots stray off course this is your captain speaking please fasten your seat belt among the team members on board is 22 year old Nando paratus [Music] [Music] [Music] 32 of 45 passengers and crew survived the crash one of the survivors is 18 year old Carlitos pious nobody went first then I noticed when I stepped out of the fuselage was the white scenery surrounded by mountains then the cold no one knows where the plane has crashed they are surrounded by mountains with little food or drink at 4,000 meters the temperatures are below freezing to survive a group of young men will be forced to break the most sacred of human taboos it is one of the most remarkable and terrifying survival stories of the 20th century when the plane does not arrive in Santiago the Chilean Air Force launches a search-and-rescue mission Jorge masa is the joint commander of the rescue operation unique element electric isang initially an investigation into a crash should be based on a flight path in the okiya death it up until the looting the search begins at the last known point and works backward from there the Chilean Air Force searches along the scheduled flight path but finds nothing nobody I know Jeff we the first night was horrible people screaming people dying the cold very brutal cold for many of us it was the first time we had seen a dead person by the following day four more people have died among the dead is copilot Dante la Carrera there are now 28 passengers still alive the immediate danger for the survivors is hypothermia which can occur when the body is exposed to cold as their body temperatures drop blood vessels close to the surface of the skin constrict reducing blood flow to the extremities this preserves the body's core temperature protecting the vital organs continued exposure reduces nerve and motor functions heart rate and breathing decreases slowly the body shuts down to stay alive the survivors huddled together inside the plane's fuselage sharing their body heat at 4000 meters temperatures outside can drop as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius at night their only hope is to be rescued you don't know Chico's old me my older boy said Carlitos don't worry we'll be rescued soon I believe what they told me [Music] Carlito's father is the first family member to arrive at the rescue headquarters in Chile I came to speak with commander Massa my name is Carlos spies in Arabic our little miracle amigo Josh I knew that there was no way that my son Carlitos would fail when we'd had so many adventures together and been so close a famous painter at home in Uruguay Carlos has crossed the continent to find his son hello comonomers Kenneth there's a pre-med momento from the beginning Carlo spires had the drive courage and determination to find his son masa takes the unusual step of allowing Carlos to take part in the search flights that Odyssey through London relatable Vanya's I will see go around son we spent hours circling the mountains I prayed for my son with the tears in my eyes not knowing if it was from the pain of the search or the reflection of the snow [Music] [Music] after three days on the mountain the survivors grow weak from hunger they ration eight chocolate bars some candy and dried fruit a packet of salted crackers and three small jars of jam amongst 28 passengers [Music] Carlito's and the others are sure they've been spotted they're wrong no problem akin Quentin the problem that many search parties encounter when searching from a plane is that it's difficult to distinguish objects from the glare of the surrounding snow in this case the plane was buried in the snow so we were never going to see it [Music] nando parado has been unconscious with a broken skull since the crash but on the third day he wakes up on board the doomed flight was Nando's mother and younger sister Suzy Nando's team-mate 19 year old Roberto Canessa breaks the news Roberto tells Nando that his mother died in the crash and that her body is buried outside with the others he implores Nando to stay calm so that he may help his sister Suzie who was alive but badly injured suzay sucio da miedo my time in order Suzie was my younger sister we always got along very well when I realized that my sister was in the front section of the fuselage she became my priority Nando's sister is gravely ill from internal injuries Loney visible yes sir para the only thing I could do for her was to keep her warm by hugging her the boys scavenged through the wreckage of the plane searching for anything that may help keep them alive desperation forces them to be invented the survivors use seats debris and suitcases to build a protective wall against the savage cold their collective body temperatures create just enough warmth to avoid freezing although surrounded by snow Nando and the others suffer from dehydration less if they thirst at that altitude is exactly the same as the one you can feel in the middle of the desert in the Sahara you dehydrate a lot faster than it's either dehydration happens when a person's breathing rate increases to get sufficient oxygen from the thin atmosphere Nando must breathe more quickly which expends more moisture than normal when and oh and the others don't realize is that eating snow also robs the body of valuable energy and heat and accelerates the process of hypothermia ingesting snow rapidly cools the mouth and when it's swallowed the cold water lowers the body's temperature to restore warmth to the mouth and body valuable heat and energy is expended seen whenever the x-y only love you with no protection from the cold and wind your lips start to break and bleed and if you put snow in your mouth it hurts a lot it was a double torture the thirst plus the pain of putting snow on your destroyed lips illiteracy yellow in aerial of lobbyists Oh Simon today through you but there was no other way no your reform Carlito's tries to melt snow by shaking it but it burns valuable energy and proves exhausting the solution came about when someone discovered a way to make water drop by drop the survivors discover that every seat back contains an aluminum sheet they fold the metal sheets to create a makeshift funnel ooh now he'll aluminum you put a thin layer of snow on the aluminum chute and the Sun melted that layer into a tin can and once that can was filled we'd all take turns taking a sip of water despite severe rationing they are running out of food starvation is making everyone weak Carlita Lando quietly confides in his friend Carlitos nanos becoming obsessed with the idea of walking out of the mountains to freedom Carlitos doesn't take it seriously he insists Nando is too weak from hunger to even think about it [Music] hunger forces the survivors to think about cannibalism now some even dare to mention it out loud but the idea is still so alien so forbidden that nobody is yet prepared to act upon it god help us all [Music] five days and still no sign of rescue using snowshoes made of strapping and seat cushions Roberto Carlitos and two other survivors plan a trek up the mountain in search of the planes missing tail with rope session de encontrar la jolla Le'Veon work in la jolla our obsessed with finding the airplanes tail because that's where all the luggage was and also the batteries to power the planes radio no sabe la posibilidad de hunt are low I'll radio dramas or if they find the tail the boys hope to bring back the plane's battery so they can power up the cockpit radio and send out a distress call meanwhile Nando studies a map from the cockpit trying to find his escape route out of the mountains he thinks he's figured out where they've crashed not too far from the Chilean foothills Nando believes that only one mountain stands between him and safety we thought we were very close to Chile Chile was to the west and if we climbed that mountain we would be saved after trekking for hours Carlitos and the boys returned to the safety of the fuselage they were unable to find the tail section of the plane it ain't gonna wait through everything was against us we were walking in snow waist-deep struggling because of the lack of oxygen and because we were so weak and the cold unimaginable human beings cannot imagine how unbearable it was the boys are frozen exhausted and defeated [Music] Fernando parado day 8 is devastating after a painful struggle his sister Susie has died alone who his may Consuelo the only thing that comforted me was that she died peacefully in my arms and she wasn't alone after my sister died I felt a change a very important change there was an inner voice that was instinct or heart or will I don't know how to describe it that told me I have to go on you have to move forward we cannot cry you can't destroy yourself morally or emotionally you have to fight to survive but I saw you reading [Music] finally the food runs out luteum agreed to call me for the last thing I ate was a peanut covered in chocolate I made it last for three days the survivors are slowly starving to death since the crash nando's body tapped into the limited energy reserves stored in his liver to keep him alive his body begins to feed off itself by breaking down fat deposits and muscle tissue into protein and energy as his fat and muscle tissues are depleted his body will become increasingly weak vital organs such as kidneys lungs and heart will eventually fail unless nando can find a new source of protein and energy he and the rest of the survivors will die no sorrow promise todo lo que podamos we tried everything that we could possibly eat pieces of leather pieces of shoes pieces of wood even hair gel but there was nothing [Music] as survivors continue to starve Roberto Canessa a medical student and respected leader broaches the taboo subject Roberta's message is blunt and urgent starvation is killing them all their only hope is protein and there's only one way to get it do you want to see your families again for some of the survivors the idea is too repulsive to consider others resist the idea on moral grounds Nando argues that the victims souls have left their bodies he reasons that consuming their remains in order to survive will mean they haven't died in vain Joker okay Roberto Canessa was very important because he was a medical student and he said if we want to survive we have to do it and you have to be in that place at that moment in that position with that fear that feeling of abandonment to understand that decision [Music] [Music] [Music] at first not all the survivors will eat human flesh but eventually everyone will the flesh they eat provides enough protein to keep them alive [Music] the survivors find a transistor radio and jury-rigged the antenna they try to find news of the rescue efforts they are stunned to hear that they've been given up for dead the search has been called off in a momento is Rakuten arrived you a moment I heard that called off the search I knew we were going to die there no food no water no rescue we were trapped and I told myself rather than dying slowly here I would prefer to die fighting Nando is convinced that he must climb the mountain to find help just hurry okay Joey you are you protein yeah miedo later solo I knew I was going to leave but I was afraid of going alone without realizing it I began to analyze the boars I was thinking with this one I can go with this one I cannot yes no slowly the list got smaller candle mucho Fernando there is only one choice for a climbing partner Roberto Jimmy 0vl authorities I got along with Roberto very well it was a leader he worked hard and he had courage I asked him to come with me the official search has been called off but Carlos Perez refuses to give up his personal quest to find his son Carlitos he travels from village to village asking anyone he meets if they have seen signs of a plane crash so no one [ __ ] you da middle son yeah his search makes him a legend in the region and that's when we started hearing there goes that crazy old man who's still looking for a son that's lost in the mountains [Music] on their 17th night in the fuselage the survivors hear a terrifying new sound an avalanche has started down the mountain it's gathering speed and heading toward the fuselage the avalanche buries most of the 27 survivors including Nando parado general momento siento good thing I felt like I had a thousand tons of concrete on my chest couldn't breathe anymore eight people died in the Avalanche including 25 year-old Marcelo Perez the team's captain and leader for the 19 remaining survivors morale is at an all-time low the Avalanche was an important part of the story more than you can think the mountain was definitely trying to kill us one by one and this increased my desire to leave as quickly as possible [Music] six weeks trapped in the Andes by day 43 only 17 survivors remain but there is a small glimmer of hope a few days ago some of the boys finally found the plane's tail section and in it the battery for the radio today Nando Roberto and two others returned to the tale with the radio and its transmitter they hope to fix the radio and send out a distress call wiring the radio transmitter and battery together is extremely complicated it will take days to determine the correct connections meanwhile in the continual search for warmth Nando and his friend Antonio discover a valuable commodity pieces of insulation not any americano seem interested we didn't have the knowledge the capacity the gear we didn't know how to make it work we just had hope Roberto has been counting on the radio to save them it was going to be a miracle if it worked I sincerely think that in the end nobody expected that radio to work their attempt to make contact with the outside world has failed Nando and Roberto know that death is inevitable unless they attempt the impossible scale the mountain that stands between them and safety father [Music] the boys build a giant cross next to the tail section as a sign to any rescue planes it's November 28th they have been trapped on the mountain for 47 days Nando plans his escape the janitor Hugh I had chosen December 12th to leave because if you do not choose a date you stay and stay I told Roberto we have to leave because if we wait too long we will become too weak to escape from here the preparation for the final expedition there was a lot of teamwork spectacular teamwork everyone gave it their best shots so we could be successful Nando - Roberto expect the trek to go on for days the greatest danger is freezing overnight in the mountain the insulation found in the tail could save their lives Carlitos was in charge of sewing a sleeping bag with copper thread that we got from electrical material from the airplane they used the glare shield from the cockpit to make sunglasses Fernando and Roberto to protect them from snow blindness to carry the supply of human flesh and water they will need clothes are converted into knapsack some gave their best clothes so that we could fight the cold everybody knew that this was the last chapter in our story the expedition would prevail or it was death for all of us in village after village carlos posts a cash reward for any news about a crash site and the whereabouts of his son Carlitos just over the devil roentgen zero I felt like a postman bringing news from place to place I knew that the more people that were worried about the lost plane the sooner we would find [Music] before leaving the fuselage for the last time Nando offers the remains of his mother and Suzie as food for survival I mean the Nando tinea Laval India not only did Nando have the courage to climb the biggest mountain in the world he had the courage and nobility to authorize us to feed from the most sacred thing he had his mother and sister to be sour but I mean it through I thought to myself that Carlitos doesn't know how scared I am or that I don't know where I'm going I don't have the slightest idea and I said look this could be very difficult and we may not return on December 12th as planned Nando and Roberto begin their climb they are joined by 19 year-old Antonio Visentin from the outset of the climb to almost 5000 meters is physically devastating but I remember most while we were climbing was my breath how I had to breathe before I moved another step Nando and the others are feeling the effects of high altitude the air is much thinner every breath that Nando takes has much less oxygen than at sea level this reduces blood flow to the heart and muscles eventually the restricted blood flow can cause brain fluids to leak inside the skull the brain begins to swell if left untreated the results can be fatal symptoms include fatigue headaches nausea vomiting and loss of muscle control and coordination nausea you closed your mind to everything that is not of that moment I was totally concentrating on the next step where I was going to put my feet my hand my whole life was planning the next 10 or 15 meters and then the next 10 it was a constant flow of short interviews if I had thought about what was ahead I never would have made it and I think that the constant flow hid the physical pain it's been weeks since the official Chilean rescue mission was called off but the victims families put pressure on the government in Uruguay to send up a special surveillance plane hi over the mountains the plains camera records an unmistakably human sign across the photos are developed at the Chilean Air Force Base jorge masa and carlos paez examine the photos look this is a cross this is across snow it's true we've never seen a cross there before this is a sign that the boys are aligned you're right I am right [Music] but the next day commander masa receives some new and disappointing information about the origin of the cross the Formosan Achilles he mother him Tina after speaking to officials in Argentina we discovered that unfortunately the cross was actually made of instruments used to measure snow levels that would tell us how much water to expect in the summer the cross in the photos is not the one the boys have built once again the rescue mission is called off [Music] pencil human souis lamonta india you thought we were going to climb the mountain in one day and then see the valleys of chile or the lights of a city but it wasn't what we thought it was much bigger and much more difficult [Music] for two months Nando and Roberto have believed that if they can only get over the mountain they will descend into the green valleys of the Chilean foothills [Music] medic went that sorry they summoned a a literacy after climbing that mountain I realized that everything we thought was wrong we weren't in the foothills no we were in the middle of a mountain chain there was no chance of surviving absolutely no chance the boys believe the crash site is in Chile on the western edge of the mountain chain in fact they are trapped in the middle of the Andes east of Chile and in Argentina but I mean if uno it was the most decisive moment of my life I accepted that I was going to die in those mountains I was not going to return to that plane what a dying up here seemed useless after three days of difficult climbing they are demoralized broken and exhausted but Nando and Roberto resolved to forge on they have already sent Antonio back to the fuselage this allows them to add his third of the food rations to their own now they must make their way down the mountain into the icy Valley carlos paez has not given up the search though his son Carlitos has been missing for more than 60 days carlos rents his own plane to scour the mountains there were so many days so many nights in so many tears when I was looking for them I was putting pressure on myself to be the one who found the plane with Christmas arriving it was dramatic because I had to return to Uruguay without Carlitos [Music] Nando and Roberto have been walking for days their muscles cramp painfully from overexertion oh maybe I can pass on little Diego as the days went by we started to feel weaker mentally and physically [Music] I wondered what would happen if Roberto broke his leg or if he couldn't walk anymore oh no they do I carry him or do I leave him here these are doubts that a person has because we're human the mountains are beautiful they're majestic they rule in that place they don't want humans there when one is dying in those mountains they transform into a truly horrible monster [Music] seven days into their long trek Nando and Roberto are barely able to continue creo que si out dignity sir Byron oh sorry I think I was hypnotized you don't realize how hard what you're doing is if I had stopped to think I would have died we were approaching our limit a physical limit it was a real low there wasn't much life left in us [Music] it's been nine days since Nando and Roberto left the crash site so they're okay salamati don't missus vivienda we had been living in a black and white world because of the snow and rocks but I mean for me going from snow to rocks was like crossing a line a very important line the line from death to life we had hope [Music] and a few hours later of the first real proof that they have returned to the land of the living yagh revealed he met instantly the first moment I realized that I might survive was when the man stopped his horse to look at us and I said this is the first contact of civilization he will save us the man across the river signals that he will go for help [Music] the next day a group of horsemen carry Nando and Roberto to a local village they savor the first real food they've eaten in 70 days word spreads of - plane crash survivors who have walked away from death the story grows even more incredible when the boys reveal that 14 other survivors are waiting to be rescued back at the crash site the Chilean Air Rescue Service dispatches helicopters to rescue the remaining survivors on December 22nd a Christmas surprise for those who survived 72 days in the Andes Carlos Perez has been told that his son Carlitos is among the survivors but after his epic 10 week search he hardly dares believe it like Gucci le paradis go do we with remainder there was a lot of anguish while waiting for the helicopter when it landed in the dust settled I saw Carlitos he smelled of sweat and sacrifice and death I hugged him intensely I think that photo of us shows that moment very well because it conveys the horror and the happiness at the same time it's a reunion that probably never would have happened if it wasn't for the determination of Nando to find an escape route out of the Andes as Carlitos exits the helicopter he embraces Nando in some way for what he had done I hope we fell to the ground for the first time I felt worn only 16 of the 45 survived huddled in a battered fuselage weak with hunger and numb with cold for 72 days it is a testament to the strength of the human will one of the greatest survival stories of the 20th century Carlito's piya's lives in uruguay near his father [Music] at 53 years of age I am lucky to still have my father alive and active to be able to share a sunset the same sunset we have always shared to be able to share these moments and continue to share this story that will forever be a part of our lives it's true that nothing is impossible if you fight with passion I believe that the intent is more important than the outcome but in order to succeed you must try nando is a successful businessman living in montevideo with his wife and children experiencing Mendiola maybe this experience has allowed me to enjoy things I never enjoyed before I enjoy the present the past is past the future is not here yet and so I enjoy the present very much because I sincerely believe that I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow people often live in the future they think of the future I think of today today is the most important day of my life [Music]

Channel: Wonder

Views: 2,777,881

Keywords: Wonder, wonder channel, weird and wonderful, survival, human interest, trapped full episodes, trapped wonder, trapped in the andes, trapped alive in the andes, these men survived, wonder survival videos, survival stories, 2 months lost in the andes, plane crash, plane crash andes mountains cannibalism, plane crash andes 1972, plane crash andes documentary, plane crash andes 1972 cannibalism, plane crash andes survivors, andes plane crash survivors, andes plane crash story

Id: K6MsEC0lQTs

Length: 47min 49sec (2869 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 18 2019