After Half a Century, Wreckage of LA210 Discovered by Climbers in the Andes Mountains

After 54 years, the remains of a missing aircraft are believed to have been located in the Andes Mountains by a group of climbers.

A group of mountain climbers in Chile claim they’ve found the remains of a LAN Airlines Douglas DC-3 that has been missing for more than 50 years. International Business Times reports the group is believed to have discovered the wreckage of LAN Chile Flight 210, which crashed in the Andes on April 3, 1961.

LA210 was en route from Temuco to Santiago when the pilots reported ice on the wings and propeller. The aircraft ultimately crashed over the Andes, killing all 24 onboard and making it Chile’s worst aircraft disaster at the time. Notably, 10 members of Chilean professional soccer team CD Green Cross were lost in the accident.

Although some of the aircraft’s remains were recovered a week after the incident, the main wreckage was never found. This led to speculation surrounding the final resting place of the aircraft and its victims. According to The Mirror, the climbers claim they found the wreckage more than 10,000 feet up one of the mountains in an undisclosed location 200 miles from Santiago.

“Quite a bit of the fuselage is still there, a lot of things scattered over the area including human bones,” said Leonardo Albornoz, a member of the expeditionary team. “It was a breath-taking moment and we felt all kinds of sensations. One could feel the energy of the place and breathe the pain.”

The discovery of the crash site comes three days after another professional soccer team reflected on the lives of players and staff lost in the Munich air disaster. On February 6, 1958, 11 members of Manchester United were killed when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed shortly after taking off from now-closed Munich-Riem Airport (MUC).

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