Uruguayen Daniel Fernandez Strauch, one of the survivors of the Andean tragedy told in the film The snow circledied Thursday, May 8, in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, announced its relatives. He was 79 years old.
Mr. Fernandez Strauch was one of the protagonists of the odyssey experienced by sixteen Uruguayans to survive a plane crash in the middle of the Andes Cordillera, in 1972, until they were rescued after having endured seventy-two days of extreme cold. This story had fascinated the whole world.
“Daniel left, but not before he fought, as he did all his life, giving the example”wrote the director of Snow circleSpanish Juan Antonio Bayona, announcing the death of Uruguayan on his social networks.
In Montevideo, Pablo Véci, author of the book of the same name, confirmed to the agency France-Presse (AFP) the death of his friend. “He had been sick for a long time”said Mr. Verci, without giving more details.
Fourth survivor of the crash to die
Mr. Bayona, whose film on the tragedy which has become world famous under the name of “Miracle des Andes” was appointed for the Oscar for best international film, described Mr. Fernandez Strauch as a man in “Giant Heart”. “In the mountains, he had to assume a very difficult role”recalled the filmmaker.
Daniel Fernandez Strauch, who was 26 years old when he found himself blocked in the mountains, was one of those who organized and distributed food to his companions, with his cousins Eduardo and Adolfo Strauch. It was “The most horrible task of all”he recognized in an interview with AFP in 2023.
The survivors, most of the young players in a Uruguayan amateur rugby team, had to feed on the flesh of the deceased to survive, one of the most painful aspects of the drama, which left twenty-nine dead.
An agronomist engineer by profession, Daniel Fernandez Strauch is the fourth survivor of the “Andes miracle” to die, after Alvaro Mangino (2025), José Luis Inciarte (2023) and Javier Methol (2015).