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Antarctic ship air rescue begins Antarctic rescue: Helicopter starts operation
(35 minutes later)
Helicopter arrives to begin rescue of passengers from ice-bound Antarctic ship Akademik Shokalskiy An operation has begun in Antarctica to rescue passengers from the ice-bound research vessel Akademik Shokalskiy.
More to follow. A Chinese helicopter arrived close to the vessel, bringing in a crew to assess the landing situation.
The aircraft is expected to return within the hour to begin ferrying the first passengers out to another vessel.
The Shokalskiy has been trapped since Christmas Eve. Its 22 crew are expected to remain on board once the 52 scientists and tourists have left.
Weight restrictions
"The Chinese helicopter has arrived at the Shokalskiy. It's 100% we're off! A huge thanks to all," expedition leader Chris Turney tweeted.
Mr Turney's post showed a video of a red helicopter touching down on a site that had been marked out by the Akademik's crew.
Members of the crew checked the site and the helicopter took off again.
"If it all goes well we'll be off in about an hour's time," Mr Turney says in the video.
Rescue co-ordinators based in Australia had earlier said it was unlikely the airlift would go ahead on Thursday as hoped because of the sea-ice conditions.
The rescue involves ferrying groups of passengers by helicopter to the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long, from where they will be taken by sea to the Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) had said the conditions were preventing a barge from Aurora Australis from reaching the Chinese vessel.
The barge is needed because weight restrictions mean the Chinese helicopter cannot land on the Aurora Australis.