In a shocking revelation, 70-year-old survivor Roberto Canessa, who endured the infamous 1972 Andes plane crash with a group of amateur rugby players, has expressed pride in the difficult decision to consume the flesh of deceased friends for survival.

The ill-fated Uruguayan Flight 571, carrying 45 people en route to Santiago, Chile, crashed into the Andean peaks on October 13, 1972, after the pilot veered off course in dense fog. The survivors faced 72 days of perilous conditions in the unforgiving environment.

Canessa, now reflecting on the traumatic experience, shared with The Mail Online, “I chose to live. I am proud of what I did.” In his book “I Had To Survive,” he revealed that while the group knew the dire necessity of their actions, “it was too horrible to contemplate.” Canessa sought guidance through prayer in the snow, acknowledging the gravity of the decision, fearing that without divine consent, he would be violating the memory of his friends.

As a medical student at the time, Canessa was the one to propose the idea of consuming the flesh of the deceased to the remaining survivors. Fellow survivor Ramon Sabella admitted, “Of course, the idea of eating human flesh was terrible, repugnant… But we got used to it.”

Canessa, using glass to cut the flesh, found solace in the belief that his deceased teammates would have made the same choice in his absence. The survivors made a pact that any future deaths would similarly permit cannibalism for sustenance.

Their miraculous rescue began when they encountered Chilean shepherd Sergio Catalán, initially unable to hear their pleas. The shepherd returned the next day, providing a means of communication with a rock, pen, and pencil. A helicopter was dispatched to rescue the survivors, who had lost over half of their body weight during the ordeal.

Eduardo Strauch, another survivor, described the overwhelming joy when they knew they were saved, stating, “I couldn’t stop smiling; it was the most beautiful moment of my life. The sound of the helicopter engines was so magnificent, the most beautiful music.