LAN Flight 210 wreckage found after 54 years

A group of climbers in the Andes, has just made an incredible discovery. 3,200 metres (10,500 feet) above sea level, at Maule, 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of Santiago, in Chile, after an expedition lasting six days, the climbers found what appears to be the wreckage of a plane that disappeared more than a half century ago.

The aircraft was a Douglas DC-3 of the Chilean company, LAN. Whilst flying to Osorno – Santiago, on 3^rd April 1961, and with 24 people on-board, it mysteriously disappeared from the radar screens. Among the passengers were the coach and eight players from the first division Green Cross soccer team, returning home after having played in a Chile Cup match. The accident became known as the Green Cross tragedy.

At the site, the climbers discovered the remains of the fuselage together with its serial numbers, a propeller, and charred human bones.

Lower Lopez, Expedition leader

"It was a breathtaking moment (when we found the plane wreckage). I felt different types of sensations – mixed feelings. I also felt the powerful energy of the place, you could breathe the pain."

If the remains of the fuselage found are those of the LAN flight 210, 54 years after the fact, the families of the victims will finally be able to come to terms with their bereavement, and who knows, maybe obtain an explanation for the crash. To avoid making a "tourist destination" of the site, the mountaineers have not revealed its exact location, but intend returning soon to the scene with the missing passengers’ relatives.