2024-01-09 01:18:26
Roberto Canessa became a renowned pediatric cardiologist following surviving the tragedy in the Andes. Photo: composition LR/Clarín/ David Pérez/La Tribuna de Talaver
Miracle or tragedy? The Andes accident has been, by far, one of the most remembered feats in history, becoming popular once more with the premiere of the Netflix film ‘The Snow Society’. This portrays what was experienced by a group of 16 young people, who managed to survive following the plane that would take them to Chile crashed in the middle of the mountain range. Although their survival came thanks to teamwork, it is undeniable to point out the participation of some, among whom stands out Roberto Canessa.
Canessa, who was then a young 19-year-old medical student, was a fundamental piece among the survivors of the plane crash, since he was not only in charge of caring for the wounds and injuries of his companions, but also, along with Fernando Parradowalked for 10 days along the Andes mountains. In this way, they got help following finding Sergio Catalana mule driver who notified the authorities that the damaged Flight 571 of the Uruguayan Air Force He had left people alive.
Only 16 people managed to survive the tragedy in the Andes. Photo: Snow Society
What did Roberto Canessa do?
Roberto Jorge Canessaor better known as Roberto Canessa, was one of the 16 survivors of the Andes tragedy. He was born on January 17, 1953 in Montevideo, Uruguay. In that city he grew up and became part of the team of Rugby Old Christians Clubfrom Stella Maris School.
It is in this way that Roberto embarked that Friday, October 13, 1972, along with 45 other people, on a rented plane from the Uruguayan Air Force that would take them from the Carrasco airport, in Montevideo, to Santiago de Chile, where they had a scheduled match.
However, almost an hour following they left their stopover in the city of Mendoza, the aircraft crashed in the Valley of Tears, a glacier located in the middle of the Andes mountain range, at regarding 4,000 meters above sea level.
As a result of the plane impact, 13 people died, so Roberto Canessa y Gustavo Zerbino, who were studying medicine at the time, treated the multiple wounded. Likewise, with the support of their colleagues, they were in charge of building improvised hammocks that served as stretchers.
On the tenth day the group began to run out of food and the hope of being rescued was increasingly slim. It is at this time that Canessa spoke regarding the possibility of feeding on corpses to maintain energy, since, in response to the low temperatures in the area, their bodies burned more fat and lost a lot of weight.
“Our common goal was to survive, but what we lacked was food. We had long since run out of reserves and there was no vegetation or animal life to find. (…) We knew the answer, but it was too terrible to contemplate,” he recalled. Roberto Canessa in his book ‘I had to survive’ regarding the practice of anthropophagy.
During the following weeks, Parrado was part of the different expeditions that were carried out to, at first, find the tail of the plane in search of more supplies and a radio with which to find out what was happening.
Several searches were carried out to find a radio and supplies. Photo: Snow Society
Canessa and his journey through the Andes mountain range
The trigger to undertake the last expedition was the death of Numa Turcatti. One day following that, December 12, Roberto Canessa, Fernando Parrado and Antonio Vizintin They left the Valley of Tears in search of help. For this they were given enough warm clothing, as well as meat for 15 days.
Two days later, on December 14, they reached the peak of the mountain and noticed that everything was covered in snow, except for some very distant peaks. Thus, they realized that the expedition would be more complex and opted for Vizintín to return with the others so that the meat would last them for more days.
Both Roberto and Nando were aware that their walk through the Andes mountain range might be fatal, since they had to face the immense mountains, the height and the cold of the area with their bodies in a terrible state of health.
Map of the Valley of Tears, the area where the Uruguayan plane fell. Photo: Snow Society
This journey lasted 10 days. On Wednesday, December 20, with less and less strength and barely being able to walk, they stopped at a river, where Roberto Canessa might see a man on his horse on the other side. Due to the noise of the water, the only thing they might understand was that he would return for them the next day.
On December 21, the person who found them, who was later identified as the muleteer Sergio Catalán, gave them food while they exchanged the famous letter with which they notified the world of their feat.
“I come from a plane that fell in the mountains. I am Uruguayan. We have been walking for ten days. I have a friend wound up. There are 14 injured persons on the airplane. We have to get out of here quickly and we don’t know how. We don’t have food. We are weak. When are they going to look us upstairs? Please. We can’t even walk. Where we are? SOS”, wrote ‘Nando’ Parrado.
The following was what they had longed for for months. The 14 young people who remained in the Valley of Tears were rescued in two phases and all were transferred to Santiago, Chile. There they underwent thorough medical examinations and were reunited with their families.
Roberto Canessa and ‘Nando’ Parrado were found by the Chilean muleteer Sergio Catalán. Photo: Clarín archive
Canessa: from surviving to saving lives
After the accident in the Andes, Roberto Canessa He sought to get on with his life. He married his girlfriend Laura Surraco —with whom he experienced an emotional reunion following surviving the Andes—, finished his degree in Medicine and specialized in Pediatric Cardiology.
For his work he has been awarded the National Prize for Medicine in Uruguay three times. Likewise, he works as a university professor and is director of the Department of Cardiac Ultrasound and prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart diseases of the Italian Hospital of Montevideo. There he is also part of the heart transplant team.
Roberto Canessa with his wife, Laura Sarruco, at the premiere of ‘The Snow Society’ at the Venice Film Festival. Photo: Mondadori Portfolio
His work as a doctor has also allowed him to carry out social assistance, as he assists families who have children with heart disease.
On the other hand, he has dedicated himself to telling what he experienced in the Andes through talks and with the publication of his book ‘I had to survive’.
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