What Happened?
October 13, 1972 - A Uruguayan rugby team crashed into the Andes Mountains. The team was stranded for 72 days in the bitter cold without only a couple cans of sardines, chocolate, and several bottles of liquor. 27 survivors were left to fend for themselves after a 10-day search effort ended. The food was gone and there was no vegetation. So the survivors chose to eat the remains of other survivors to stay alive. They sharpened the plastic windows of the plane to use as knives, turned the bodies over, and ate the flesh raw. An avalanche crushed 8 of the remaining survivors, and the survivors of both the plane crash, lack of food, and avalanche spent 3 days tunneling out of the avalanche. 60 days after the plane crash, three individuals from the team started the trek down the mountain to find help. After 72 days of starvation and being stranded, 16 survivors made their way back to civilization. The media spread the horrid word of cannibalism, but the Catholic church deemed that they had done the right thing.
Above is a photo of the monument built on the crash site in honor of those who were involved. It is simply rocks, carnage from the flight, and a cross, however it holds a powerful meaning. The dead from the disaster are buried there.
Here are some resources to learn more about the plane crash and resulting struggle for survival, including an account of the event from a survivor.