First Group of Passengers Evacuated from Ship in Antarctic
Moscow, Jan 2 (Prensa Latina) The first group of 12 passengers of the Russian ship Akademik Shokalski, stuck in Antarctic ice, was evacuated today by a Chinese helicopter, an oficial source confirmed.
The Australian Maritime Security Authority (AMSA) said on its Twitter account that a Chinese helicopter of the Xue Long (Ice Dragon) ship took the 52 evacuees to the Aurora Australis icebreaker, with Australian flag, which is 18 nautical miles from the stranded ship due to poor visibility.
The ship had weighed anchor from new Zealand on November 28 with 22 Russian crew members and 52 tourists and scientists in a private expedition to mark the 100th anniversary of a trip to the Antarctic led by Australian explorer Douglas Mawson. It got trapped in a tick layer of ice 1,500 nautical miles from south Tasmania and 100 nautical miles from the French Antarctic station Dumont D Urville.
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