The Netflix movie ‘Society of the Snow’, based on a true story of how members and supporters of a Uruguayan rugby team managed to survive for months in the Andes Mountains after their plane crashed, was released on Thursday (January 4).
The movie is based on a book of the same name, written by the Uruguayan journalist Pablo Vierci. He has also co-written a book about the incident with one of the survivors, Dr Roberto Canessa, called ‘I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives’. Here is the true story behind the incident.
The crash
On October 12, 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 took off from Montevideo, Uruguay, with 45 people, including 40 passengers and five crew members, on board. The passengers were Old Christians Club amateur rugby team players, their friends and family, who were travelling to Santiago, Chile, for an exhibition match.
