Álvaro Mangino, one of the 16 survivors of the plane accident in the Andes in 1972 whose history was reflected in the book and the film They live and on the Spanish tape The snow societyhe died this Saturday in Montevideo at age 72. The last post on Instagram of the filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona is a farewell message and thanks to mangino for the help he gave him for the aforementioned film he achieved, among other recognitions, 12 Goya awards.
Bayona published a mangin photograph next to the actor who gave him life on the screen, the Argentine Juan Caruso, during the filming of the film, released in 2023.
In the text that accompanies the photo, Bayona dedicates a few words to mangain: “In the crash his leg was fractured and he spent the 72 days crawling through the snow. However, despite his disability, he will be remembered for never having stopped working on the mountain, sneaking constantly to be able to supply water to his teammates,” explains the filmmaker. And add: “When we roll The snow society He was always generous and his help was fundamental for the success of the film. I feel lucky to have met him. ”
The Old Christians Club, a rugby team to which the Uruguayans belonged to the Fairchild plane of the South American country’s Air Force when it crashed into one of the cliffs of the Andes mountain range, 3,600 meters high, also dedicated a publication for the death of Álvaro Mangino Schmid on March 29.
History after ‘the snow society’
On October 13, 1972, the Fau 571 plane that moved to the Old Christians Club delegation to Chile crashed in the Andes mountain range. With the impact, 13 of the 40 crew died on the spot, while others did it days later because of the wounds, the extreme cold of the place and an avalanche that occurred on October 29. Despite this, 16 managed to survive 72 days in the middle of the snow of the mountain range and were rescued between December 22 and 23.
Gustavo Zerbino, Antonio Vizintin, Eduardo Strauch, Adolfo Strauch, Fernando Parrado, Ramón Sabella, Carlos Páez, José Luis Iniarte, Javier Methol, Roy Harley, Álvaro Mangino, Roberto Francois, Pedro Algorta, Roberto Canessa, Daniel Ferández and Alfredo Delgado were the survivors of the tragedy. Currently, 13 of the 16 are still alive, after the deaths of Mangino Schmid (2025), ‘car’ inciarte (2023) and Methol (2015). Bayonne’s film about its history is, according to the critic Carlos Boyero, “a credible and emotional portrait of the horror that was lived in the plane crash in the Andes” with a “powerful aesthetics” and “as felt as I primarily made.”