Wed, September 15, 2010
A critically ill American scientist has been evacuated from minus 35-degree Celcius weather in Antarctica.
Medivacs are extremely rare during winter months as weather conditions make air travel too dangerous.
The unnamed man was flown to New Zealand on Tuesday after weekend weather conditions made it impossible to get him out sooner.
After a seven hour round-trip flight to and from Christchurch, New Zealand and Pegasus Field near McMurdo base in Antarctica, the New Zealand Airforce Orion aircraft landed safely with its sick passenger on board.
The patient, said to be a member of the U.S. Antarctic programme working on the ice over the winter, was hospitalized in Christchurch immediately upon arrival.
The details of his illness remain to be determined.
Hundreds of Americans work in the area around the McMurdo station in Antartica, which is run by the U.S. National Science Foundation.
(Reuters)
