Sir Ranulph Fiennes forced to abandon Antarctica journey due to frostbite

British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has had to abandon his expedition across Antarctica because of extreme frostbite.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the 68-year-old planned to become the first person to cross the frozen continent later this year, but pulled out of the journey after suffering the injury during training.

A spokesman for the 'Coldest Journey on Earth' expedition said Sir Ranulph fell while skiing in a blizzard and attempted to fix his binding with his bare hands.

Tony Medniuk from the 'Coldest Journey' told the BBC: 'In seeking to reattach his binding he felt that he couldn't get it on and had to take his glove off in very cold conditions and exposed his hand to snow and as a consequence he has contracted frostbite.

'After five years of preparation, a small slip like this and a few moments can undermine the most meticulous preparation.'

His five teammates are attempting to evacuate Sir Ranulph to South Africa and have agreed to embark on the 2,000-mile journey without him.

Blizzard conditions are currently making any evacuation impossible and he will be unable to move until conditions ease.

The expedition from the Russian base of Novolazareskaya to the Ross Sea is due to begin on 21 March, the start of winter, and is expected to take six months.

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