All passengers finally rescued from ship trapped off Antarctica
All 52 tourists, scientists and journalists trapped in ice off Antarctica have been rescued by helicopter after spending more than a week stranded.
The Guardian reports that a helicopter sent from Chinese icebreaker Xue Long landed next to the ship on Thursday afternoon and passengers were evacuated shortly after.
They were rescued from the trapped Akademik Shokalskiy in five groups and two further flights picked up their luggage.
Expedition leader Professor Chris Turney tweeted: "We've made it to the Aurora australis safe & sound. A huge thanks to the Chinese & @AusAntarctic for all their hard work!"
According to Sky News, they were flown to an ice floe next to Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis and will be taken to Tasmania by the Aurora, arriving around mid-January.
Three icebreakers failed to rescue the stranded passengers when it was trapped on Christmas Eve.
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