Society of the Snow: Where are the Flight 571 survivors now?

Jasmine Valentine
Still from Society of the Snow on Netflix

Shocking survival thriller Society of the Snow made waves on Netflix – but where are the Flight 571 survivors now?

In 1972, Uruguayan Flight 571 crashed into the Andes mountains, carrying 45 passengers made up of a local rugby team, supporters, friends, and family.

While 12 passengers died on impact, 33 were left to face terrifying and bleak conditions on the mountains, with further passengers succumbing to injuries and ill health.

With a fictional adaptation of the ordeal now on Netflix, where are the Society of the Snow survivors now? Here’s what we know.

Society of the Snow: Where are the Flight 571 survivors now?

50 years after the horrific Flight 571 crash, many of the surviving passengers have gone on to use their experience in their later lives.

After the flight first crashed on October 13, 1972, help didn’t reach the bulk of the group until day 72. When the rescue mission was finally underway, only 16 passengers survived.

Of those 16, many went on to become motivational speakers alongside their vocations. This includes Uruguayan cardiologist Roberto Canessa, Gustavo Zerbino, and Ramón “Moncho” Sabella.

Nando Parrado became a writer, penning the 2006 book Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home. Adolfo “Fito” Strauch is a father of four, with Daniel Fernández Strauch being a key member in implementing the commemorative rugby game to mark the 40th anniversary of the incident.

Fito’s cousin Eduardo Strauch went on to be an architect, with Carlitos Páez, known as “the man of the iron spirit,” also becoming a writer.

Some survivors, such as Alfredo “Pancho” Delgado, remain private, with little details about them known.

José Luis “Coche” Inciarte died just before Society of the Snow first came out in 2023.

According to the New York Post, the Society of the Snow survivors try to meet every December 22, share a meal, and remember those they have lost.

Speaking about the movie to USA Today, survivor Roberto Canessa said: “I was immersed in that place again. I was back in the fuselage.”

Society of the Snow is on Netflix now. Check out our other coverage below: