Tragedy on the Andes became story of heroism

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

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What's happening here?

It’s December 26, 1972, and the mindblowing story of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 and those who survived its crash high in the remotest part of the Andes is just beginning to break and shock the world.

This was the first image of the Fairchild FH-227D that had crashed on the remote Las Lasgrimas glacier to be sent around the world although the survivors had been picked up by helicopter three days earlier.

The crash involved the Old Christians rugby team and their supporters who had chartered the plane to Chile for a much anticipated weekend tour to Santiago, a trip which ended in the death of 29 members of their party and a savage fight for survival for the other 16.

Ultimately to prevail, the survivors had little option but to eat the human flesh of dead teammates and friends. In front of the plane is the body of one of those who perished, perfectly preserved by the fridge freezer temperatures.

The story behind the picture?

The Old Christians was a fun-loving club based exclusively around old boys of the Stella Maris catholic college, which was run by rugby-mad Irish priests.

As rugby players they were decent by Uruguayan standards – Robert Canessa was selected to tour South Africa with Hugo Porta’s South American Jaguars in 1980 – but as individuals they were exceptional. They were Uruguay’s future elite – young trainee lawyers, doctors, dentists, vets, surgeons, economists, and entrepreneurs.