Álvaro Mangino
, survivor of the Tragedy of the Andes, shared a post on Instagram accompanied by a message that moved tens of thousands of people both on that social network and on X.
The topic continues to be in vogue in the days prior to the
2024 Oscars
in which The Snow Society, the film that narrates the events of the tragedy, will compete for the foreign award.
Mangino's photo was taken at base camp after the 70-year-old climbed to the crash site for the last time.
In the background, behind him, you can see a rare “
double rainbow
”.
“Once we descended and arrived at the camp where we spent the night, the sky gave us a double rainbow.
I like to think it was a sign from my friends who stayed on the mountain
that they were glad we had come to visit them.
“I already knew it was the last time I was going up and I was saying goodbye,” Mangino wrote.
Regarding the repeated consultations about his health status, the man thanked “everyone for caring” and explained: “I am having some health problems because I got pneumonia in January and it is taking me longer to recover my lung capacity.
That's why you see me with the help of oxygen in some photos and interviews.
But I'm fine and have the attitude to move forward."
Juan Pérez del Castillo
, his godson who was with him that day in Los Andes, said that the day before, when they were on “the cross” about to start going down, something fantastic happened when his godfather said goodbye to the mountain forever.
Álvaro's photo with the double rainbow.
Photo: Instagram
At the moment he told her that he was not going to go anymore, “in minutes the weather changed drastically.
It started to drizzle, squalls of wind and suddenly a big avalanche in front of us," Del Castillo said.
And he added: "The mountain reacted with fury to that despair and Álvaro felt bad that night. He had to use oxygen. And the next day they made peace with the mountain again, that solace came out, Álvaro improved and that image shows everything !”
Who is Álvaro Mangino in The Snow Society?
On the left, Caruso, the actor who plays Mangino in The Snow Society.
Photo: Instagram Ibiorg
In recent months, the tragedy was once again on everyone's lips due to the premiere of
JA Bayona
's film The Snow Society.
The Spanish director's film has just won the Goya Awards and is nominated for the 2024 Oscars in the categories of
Best Foreign Language Film
and
Best Makeup/Hairstyling
.
In that film, which narrates the tragedy of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 on October 13, 1972, Álvaro Mangino is represented by actor
Juan Caruso
.
Álvaro after being rescued from Los Andes.
Photo: Instagram
Mangino was 19 years old when the plane crashed in the mountain range.
Due to the impact, Álvaro suffered a broken leg.
He and the other 15 survivors spent 72 days in the snow.