My plane crashed in the Andes. Only the unthinkable kept me and the other starving survivors alive

In 1972, Nando Parrado was travelling with family and friends when his plane went down in the mountains. What followed was months of horror, ingenuity – and incredible sacrifice

Nando Parrado interview: Survivors of the crash sitting beside the plane fuselage.

All Nando Parrado remembers is a deep black hole and one recurring thought: “I’m dead. I’m dead. This is death. It’s so black that this is death.” 

Hours passed, maybe days. Then, a new thought: “I’m thirsty. I’m craving water. If I’m dead, I cannot crave water.”