Seventy-Two Days: Alive in the Andes | E214

In this unflinching episode of the Crux True Survival Story Podcast, hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen delve into one of history's most harrowing survival stories. On October 13, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 slammed into the Andes Mountains, leaving 33 survivors stranded at 12,000 feet in subzero temperatures. For 72 days, they battled avalanches, frostbite, and starvation. When their meager supplies ran out, they faced an unthinkable decision: consume the dead or die themselves. This episode chronicles the psychological torment, the impossible moral choices, and the superhuman trek of two survivors who walked ten days through the frozen mountains to find rescue. A raw testament to human resilience and the terrifying price of survival.

00:00 Welcome and Housekeeping
01:25 Introducing the Podcast
01:48 Setting the Scene: The Andes Flight Disaster
02:08 The Crash
03:11 Immediate Aftermath
04:05 Struggle for Survival
15:55 The Search is Called Off
18:16 Facing the Unthinkable
20:06 The Grim Reality of Survival
21:01 A Desperate Decision
23:35 The Psychological Toll
25:44 Avalanche Strikes Again
27:18 A Daring Escape Plan
28:38 Journey Through the Mountains
35:36 Rescue and Aftermath
39:22 Legacy of Survival

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REFERENCES

Primary Sources:

• Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read (1974)
• Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home by Nando Parrado (2006)
• Out of the Silence: After the Crash by Eduardo Strauch (2019)

Technical Documentation:

• Official Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 accident investigation reports
• Medical journals documenting survivors' conditions upon rescue
• Geographic surveys of crash site location
• Aviation records and flight data

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