Javier Methol
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Javier Alfredo Methol Abal (11 December 1935 – 4 June 2015) was a Uruguayan businessman and lecturer, known for being one of the 16 survivors of the
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was the chartered flight of a Fairchild FH-227D from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Santiago, Chile, that crashed in the Andes mountains in Argentina on 13 October 1972. The accident and subsequent survival became known ...
crash in the
Andes Mountains The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
in October 1972.


Early life

He was born in
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
in 1935 to an upper-middle class family of Basque-French and Galician descent. After graduating from high school at the
Elbio Fernández School The is a Mixed-sex education, co-educational private school in Montevideo, Uruguay. Founded in 1869 as the first secular and private school in Uruguay and the main inspirer of the Varelian Reform, it provides day education to boys and girls aged ...
, he started working at the Abal Hnos S.A. cigarette factory, which belonged to his mother's family. At the age of 20, he moved to Cuba and the United States to become a technician in the tobacco industry. While in the United States, he was diagnosed with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
and had to remain hospitalized there for five months before returning to Uruguay.


Accident in the Andes

He was one of the 45 people who on October 13, 1972, boarded the
Fairchild Hiller FH-227 Fairchild may refer to: Organizations * Fairchild Aerial Surveys, operated in cooperation with a subsidiary of Fairey Aviation Company * Fairchild Camera and Instrument * List of Sherman Fairchild companies, "Fairchild" companies * Fairchild F ...
of
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was the chartered flight of a Fairchild FH-227D from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Santiago, Chile, that crashed in the Andes mountains in Argentina on 13 October 1972. The accident and subsequent survival became known ...
, together with his wife Liliana Navarro. At the time of the accident, he was 36 years old and had 4 children. His cousin, Francisco ''Panchito'' Abal, died of injuries sustained in the crash. Liliana lost her life during the avalanche, which also killed others who had survived the crash. Within the community that lived in the Fairchild for more than 70 days, Javier Methol's mature figure allowed him to be one of the main leaders. The boys affectionately called him ''Dumbo''.


Later life and death

After his return to Uruguay following the crash in the Andes, he continued working at Abal Hnos S.A., being a member of the company's board of directors and manager of corporate affairs. In 1979, it was acquired by the tobacco company
Philip Morris International Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is a multinational tobacco company, with products sold in over 180 countries. Marlboro is PMI’s most recognized brand, but in the last quarter of 2023, Iqos generated the greatest revenue. Philip Mor ...
. In addition, for several years he gave motivational lectures based on his survival experience. Methol died on June 4, 2015, at the British Hospital of Montevideo, at the age of 79, from melanoma. The following day, the wake was celebrated with a mass at the San José de la Montaña de Carrasco and a funeral procession was held at the
Buceo Cemetery Cementerio del Buceo is a cemetery in Montevideo, Uruguay. It was established in 1872. It is located in the ''barrio'' of Buceo, near the shores of the Río de la Plata. Nearby is the British Cemetery. Notable burials * Rafael Barradas (1890â ...
, where his remains were buried. He was the founder and first president of the ¡Viven! Foundation in 2007.


Personal life

In 1960, he married Liliana Beatriz Navarro, with whom he had four children: María Laura, Pablo Javier, Anna Inés and Marie Noel. Four years after Navarro's death he remarried Ana María Amorrortu from Argentina, with whom he had four more children: Guillermo Javier, Rafael Javier, Ignacio Javier and Ximena María. He was a cousin of Francisco Abal, who died during the accident. He was a Catholic.


Bibliography

* The 1993 film, '' Alive'', is an adaptation of this book. * Originally published in Spanish in 2008 as ''La Sociedad de la Nieve: Por Primera Vez Los 16 Sobrevivientes Cuentan la Historia Completa.'' The 2023 film, ''
Society of the Snow ''Society of the Snow'' () is a 2023 survival drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and based on Pablo Vierci's 2008 book of the same name, which details the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team's experience in 1972 after Uruguayan Air Forc ...
'', is an adaptation of this book.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Methol, Javier 1935 births 2015 deaths Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 survivors Uruguayan Roman Catholics Deaths from cancer in Uruguay Uruguayan businesspeople Businesspeople from Montevideo Uruguayan people of Basque descent Uruguayan people of French descent Uruguayan people of Galician descent People educated at Elbio Fernández School Uruguayan expatriates in Cuba Uruguayan expatriates in the United States