Read Online CANNIBALS (True Crime) by Ray Black - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ray Black
Tags: nonfiction
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wreckage of the left wing, but no sign of the missing tail portion. Canessa, Parrado and Vizintin were the ones who eventually found the tail. It was to the east of the fuselage and about 500 feet further down the valley. It took them almost three hours to reach it, but although they successfully located the batteries they were too heavy to transport back to the fuselage. They came back empty-handed but had worked out a plan to take the radio and Roy Harley with them back to the tail, so that he could hook it up. However, their mission was unsuccessful as the transmitter and the batteries were not of the same voltage.
On the 17th night spent on the mountain, the survivors were hit by an avalanche which swept down the valley and covered the whole of the fuselage. The snow even forced its way through their makeshift wall at the back of the cabin, covering all the survivors. All that is, except four – Echavarran, Nogueira and Vinzintin were asleep in their hammocks, and Harley was woken by the noise and managed to stand up before the snow swept over him. They frantically dug in the snow for their friends, but eight of the nineteen survivors had been buried alive in the snow.
One hour later a second avalanche hit the wreckage but, because the entrance was already blocked by snow, it simply swept right over the top of the fuselage. This meant that what remained of the plane was now completely buried in snow. There was very little room left in the cabin, and without their blankets and shoes which were buried in the snow, the remaining survivors struggled to keep warm.
As soon as they spotted the first rays of daylight the group started to burrow through the snow at the front of the fuselage and managed to get through to the pilots’ cabin. Because of the tilt of the plane the window in the cockpit was above the level of the snow, but when Roy Harley poked his head out of a hole in the window he discovered that a snowstorm had set in. They had to stay for three days inside their frozen tomb. It wasn’t until the morning of November 1 that the snow eased up and they started on the task of digging themselves out. It took them a couple of days, but they managed to make a tunnel out of the rear of the fuselage and up to the surface. They removed as much snow as they could by taking it out through the tunnel, and also removed the bodies of their friends who had died in the avalanche.
R ESCUE
On the 62nd day following the crash, Nando Parrado, Roberto Canessa and Antonio Vizintin set out on an expedition to the west, where they hoped they would find Chile. With them they carried a sleeping bag, which they had made up from the plane’s insulation, and a ration of food. They knew the journey ahead was going to be arduous as they had to make a steep ascent up the mountains. They climbed and climbed until the last of the sun had disappeared behind the mountain. As dusk fell they set up camp and managed to keep warm throughout the night with their makeshift sleeping arrangements. After three days of climbing they realized that their food rations were not going to last and so they voted and opted for Vizintin to return to the plane. Using a seat cushion for snow shoes it took him only two hours to slide back down the mountain, when it had taken them three days to climb that far. On the fourth day of their expedition the men found that they were starting their descent down the other side of the mountain. It took four more days to reach the bottom where they found green fields and to their delight a rancher who was tending his cattle.
The rancher, Sergio Catalan, saw the dishevelled men trying to attract his attention on the far side of the river. They screamed at him and asked for him to fetch help, but the river almost drowned out the sound of their pleas. The rancher shouted back that he would return the next day. Realizing at last that they were on the verge of being rescued the men set up camp on the side of the river.
On the 17th night spent on the mountain, the survivors were hit by an avalanche which swept down the valley and covered the whole of the fuselage. The snow even forced its way through their makeshift wall at the back of the cabin, covering all the survivors. All that is, except four – Echavarran, Nogueira and Vinzintin were asleep in their hammocks, and Harley was woken by the noise and managed to stand up before the snow swept over him. They frantically dug in the snow for their friends, but eight of the nineteen survivors had been buried alive in the snow.
One hour later a second avalanche hit the wreckage but, because the entrance was already blocked by snow, it simply swept right over the top of the fuselage. This meant that what remained of the plane was now completely buried in snow. There was very little room left in the cabin, and without their blankets and shoes which were buried in the snow, the remaining survivors struggled to keep warm.
As soon as they spotted the first rays of daylight the group started to burrow through the snow at the front of the fuselage and managed to get through to the pilots’ cabin. Because of the tilt of the plane the window in the cockpit was above the level of the snow, but when Roy Harley poked his head out of a hole in the window he discovered that a snowstorm had set in. They had to stay for three days inside their frozen tomb. It wasn’t until the morning of November 1 that the snow eased up and they started on the task of digging themselves out. It took them a couple of days, but they managed to make a tunnel out of the rear of the fuselage and up to the surface. They removed as much snow as they could by taking it out through the tunnel, and also removed the bodies of their friends who had died in the avalanche.
R ESCUE
On the 62nd day following the crash, Nando Parrado, Roberto Canessa and Antonio Vizintin set out on an expedition to the west, where they hoped they would find Chile. With them they carried a sleeping bag, which they had made up from the plane’s insulation, and a ration of food. They knew the journey ahead was going to be arduous as they had to make a steep ascent up the mountains. They climbed and climbed until the last of the sun had disappeared behind the mountain. As dusk fell they set up camp and managed to keep warm throughout the night with their makeshift sleeping arrangements. After three days of climbing they realized that their food rations were not going to last and so they voted and opted for Vizintin to return to the plane. Using a seat cushion for snow shoes it took him only two hours to slide back down the mountain, when it had taken them three days to climb that far. On the fourth day of their expedition the men found that they were starting their descent down the other side of the mountain. It took four more days to reach the bottom where they found green fields and to their delight a rancher who was tending his cattle.
The rancher, Sergio Catalan, saw the dishevelled men trying to attract his attention on the far side of the river. They screamed at him and asked for him to fetch help, but the river almost drowned out the sound of their pleas. The rancher shouted back that he would return the next day. Realizing at last that they were on the verge of being rescued the men set up camp on the side of the river.
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