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| Memories
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 On the 18th January of 1973, 27 days after the survivors rescue, a patrol made up by many members of the Andinian Help Corps and a Chilean priest, were taken by helicopter to the Fairchild remains. There, few metres away from the plane, they set up camp with the idea of spending there some days. They gathered all the body remains, that were round the Fairchild and the mountain, together.
80 metres away from the plane they found an area, which seemed to be out of avalanche risks and it also had enough land as to dig a grave. They dug a big hole helped with shovels and picks. There they buried the accident victims.
Near the grave they built up a rustic stone altar with an orange iron cross above it, in which lies the inscription:
“EL MUNDO A SUS HERMANOS URUGUAYOS” (the world to its Uruguayan brothers)
on one side and
“CERCA, OH DIOS DE TI” (close, oh God, to you)
on the other.
In the end, the priest celebrated Mass and said a sermon to the people present. Later the Andinists went back to the Fairchild remains, sprayed it with gasoline and set it on fire. They decided that their work had finished, and encouraged by the threatening noise of the avalanches they agreed to live the place.
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| Material provided by Alexis J Scarantino
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