At the celebration, which took place on October 7 at the Andes 1972 museum, the Uruguayan Post Office presented a commemorative postage stamp and the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) announced that this organization will mint 5,000 coins with an illustration alluding to the “miracle of the Andes”. The President of the Republic, Luis Lacalle Pou, present at the activity, canceled the stamp displayed on the occasion.
Also in attendance were the Secretary of the Presidency, Álvaro Delgado; the Minister of Education and Culture, Pablo da Silveira; the president of the Uruguayan Post Office, Rafael Navarrine; the head of the BCU, Diego Labat; the vice president of that institution, Washington Ribeiro, and the director of the Andes 1972 museum, Jörg Thomsen, as well as some of the survivors of the flight.
Navarrine stressed that the seal is a well-deserved tribute from the Uruguayan State and will allow this historical event to endure over time. It will also help maintain the cultural heritage of the country, he said.
Labat announced that the BCU will mint 5,000 coins, with a value of 1,000 pesos each, to commemorate the so-called “miracle of the Andes” and said that they are expected to have them in the first half of 2023.
After the oratory, the stamp was discovered, which was postmarked by President Lacalle Pou. In addition, prizes were awarded for the art contest “Fifty years later, resilience” and the book was presented To play the game. A history of flight 591written by John Guiver.
On October 13, 1972, members of the Old Christians rugby club and some of their relatives traveled from Montevideo to Santiago de Chile to play a friendly match. While crossing the Andes, the plane, which was carrying 40 passengers and five crew members, crashed into a cliff in the mountain range. Only 16 managed to be rescued, more than two months later.
