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Rescue Flight Evacuates 2 Sick Workers From the South Pole Rescue Flight Evacuates 2 Sick Workers From the South Pole
(about 17 hours later)
A plane carrying two sick workers rescued from a remote South Pole research station landed in Chile late on Wednesday after a daring effort that involved battling temperatures lower than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit and round-the-clock darkness, the National Science Foundation said.A plane carrying two sick workers rescued from a remote South Pole research station landed in Chile late on Wednesday after a daring effort that involved battling temperatures lower than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit and round-the-clock darkness, the National Science Foundation said.
The plane, a Twin Otter aircraft, left the foundation’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station early on Wednesday morning and arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile, at 9:41 p.m., the foundation said on its Facebook page.The plane, a Twin Otter aircraft, left the foundation’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station early on Wednesday morning and arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile, at 9:41 p.m., the foundation said on its Facebook page.
The two patients will be taken for medical care that was not available at Amundsen-Scott, the foundation said. It would not reveal details of their conditions. Both patients are seasonal employees of Lockheed Martin Antarctic Support Contract, which offers operations and research support for the United States Antarctic Program, the foundation said.The two patients will be taken for medical care that was not available at Amundsen-Scott, the foundation said. It would not reveal details of their conditions. Both patients are seasonal employees of Lockheed Martin Antarctic Support Contract, which offers operations and research support for the United States Antarctic Program, the foundation said.
At the Magallanes Clinic in Punta Arenas, a nurse, Mauricio Seron, told The Associated Press that a woman “with a gastric problem” was the sicker of the two patients. Mr. Seron said the second patient was a man who had had a heart attack.
The mission initially focused on evacuating one person, the foundation said, but to mitigate risks, it used the flight to take out a second person.The mission initially focused on evacuating one person, the foundation said, but to mitigate risks, it used the flight to take out a second person.
Because of the extreme weather conditions, aircraft generally do not fly to the South Pole between February and October. (The plane used skis to land on the snow and ice there on Tuesday.)Because of the extreme weather conditions, aircraft generally do not fly to the South Pole between February and October. (The plane used skis to land on the snow and ice there on Tuesday.)
The South Pole is in the middle of its six-month night, when a lack of sunlight drives the frigid temperatures even lower. The temperatures at Amundsen-Scott were lower than minus 70 Fahrenheit in the past day.The South Pole is in the middle of its six-month night, when a lack of sunlight drives the frigid temperatures even lower. The temperatures at Amundsen-Scott were lower than minus 70 Fahrenheit in the past day.
The rescue plane was operated by Kenn Borek Air of Canada, which has flown two similar rescue missions in 2001 and 2003, the National Science Foundation said in a statement.The rescue plane was operated by Kenn Borek Air of Canada, which has flown two similar rescue missions in 2001 and 2003, the National Science Foundation said in a statement.
There are more than 40 people now wintering at the Amundsen-Scott station, which was established in 1956. The workers there conduct research and maintain equipment used for studying subjects like the atmosphere and outer space.