Sergio Catalán, whose act of riding through the night to bring help completed the rescue chain, died in 2020 at age 91.
The crash site in the Andes remains in place. The common grave of those who died is there. The obelisk memorial, built in 2006, marks the location. The valley is cold, remote, and silent — the same valley where, for 72 days in 1972, it was anything but silent.
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**Slug:** andes-1972-flight-571-survivors-nando-parrado-roberto-canessa-72-days
**Meta description:** On October 13, 1972, a plane crashed in the Andes with 45 aboard. For 72 days, 16 survivors endured extreme cold, starvation, and impossible decisions before two of them walked out to bring rescue.
**Category:** Extraordinary Survival
**Thumbnail hook:** 45 people flew into the Andes. 16 came out 72 days later.
**Sources:**
– Wikipedia: Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguayan_Air_Force_Flight_571
– Britannica: Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 — https://www.britannica.com/event/Uruguayan-Air-Force-flight-571
– Grunge: What Happened To Flight 571’s Survivors After The Harrowing 1972 Crash — https://www.grunge.com/1290629/what-happened-flight-571s-survivors-after-1972-crash
– Stadium Talk: The Harrowing Survival Story of the Rugby Team That Crashed in the Mountains — https://stadiumtalk.com/s/the-harrowing-survival-story-of-the-rugby-team-that-crashed-in-the-mountains