Flying through darkness and extreme cold, a tiny rescue plane has completed an 8-hour trip from the South Pole to the edge of Antarctica, carrying an American doctor in need of urgent medical treatment.
The eight-seat Twin Otter left the Amundsen-Scott base at the Pole at 4.47 am (NZ time)today and, with favourable winds, arrived well ahead of schedule around 1 pm at the British Rothera station.
The Canadian-based plane and its crew were sent to rescue 59-year-old Dr. Ronald Shemenski who is suffering from a gall bladder illness and inflamation of the pancreas.
After an overnight rest at Rothera, they will continue across Drake Passage to Punta Arenas, Chile, where Dr Shemenski will board a commercial flight to the United States.
Dr Shemenski was the sole physician among 50 researchers working at the South Pole. He is in a stable condition and still able to walk.
