The impact was catastrophic and extremely rapid. The right wing was torn off when it struck the ridge, then the left wing. The tail section separated, taking with it Navigator Lieutenant Ramón Martínez, flight attendant Ovidio Ramírez, and several passengers who had been seated near the rear. Those in the tail section died in the initial impact or shortly afterward. The fuselage became a projectile on a snow-covered glacier, decelerating from roughly 350 kilometers per hour to a stop in just over 700 meters.
The survivors who were conscious in the moments after the crash emerged from a fuselage that was largely intact but devastated inside. The impact had compressed the cabin, crushing passengers who had been seated at the front. Dr. Francisco Nicola and his wife Esther were among those who died almost immediately, along with several of the rugby players. Nando Parrado’s mother Eugenia died in the crash. Parrado himself was unconscious and remained so for three days; when he regained consciousness, his friends told him his mother had died. His sister Susana was alive but gravely injured.
Twelve people died on the day of the crash or in the immediate aftermath. Thirty-three survived the initial impact.
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## What They Found
The survivors who were able to move in the hours after the crash took stock of what they had.
The fuselage offered basic shelter. The aircraft had been packed with the luggage and food supplies for a rugby team’s weekend trip: some snacks, chocolate, wine, a few other items. The combined food supply for 33 people, at altitude, in extreme cold, was estimated to last about a week under rationing. This calculation was made quickly, within the first day or two, and the survivors understood what it meant. They were on the glacier with no way to move quickly, in conditions that made extended travel impossible without proper equipment, and their food would last approximately a week.