‘CHAOS’

Andes Crash Survivors Recall Resorting to Cannibalism: ‘We Got Used to It’

“My only trouble with it was that these were the bodies of my friends. I had to go to their families later to explain,” one survivor, Roberto Canessa, recounted.

The 16 eventual survivors of a harrowing plane crash in the Andes in 1972 reunited in Uruguay last week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the tragedy, according to The Sunday Times. The newspaper spoke to several of the survivors, with one, Ramon Sabella, remembering how, with little hope of rescue, the group were forced to resort to cannibalism during their 72-day ordeal. “Of course, the idea of eating human flesh was terrible, repugnant,” the 70-year-old said. “It was hard to put in your mouth. But we got used to it.” Sabella recalled the “chaos” of the first night, followed by the dawning horror of the “only solution” available to them if they wanted to stay alive. “We would have starved to death otherwise,” another survivor, Roberto Canessa, explained. “My only trouble with it was that these were the bodies of my friends. I had to go to their families later to explain.” Carlitos Paez, who has spent decades giving talks on the tragedy around the world, explained that he frequently asks his audiences, “‘Would any of you not have done the same thing?’” He added: “Nobody has ever put up their hand.”