2 injured Brits rescued from Antarctic crash
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, December 20, 2003
LONDON — A rescue team picked up two injured British adventurers Saturday after their helicopter crashed in the Antarctic during a round-the world voyage.
Jennifer Murray and Colin Bodill, who are attempting to circumnavigate the Earth across both poles, were found "safe and well," Britain’s Foreign Office said.
Murray, 63, had a broken arm, and Bodill, 53, received unspecified injuries, expedition organizer Polar First said in a statement. They were to be taken to Chile for treatment, the statement said.
The helicopter went down as it flew north across Antarctica toward South America. While awaiting rescue, the pair managed to erect a tent and take shelter in their downed aircraft, Polar First said.
The rescue came after the Royal Air Force base at Kinloss in Scotland received a distress signal apparently from the pair’s Bell 407 helicopter, the Ministry of Defense said.
The two set off from New York on Oct. 22, hoping to complete the 31,000 mile circumpolar voyage in April. They reached the South Pole on Dec. 17 — the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first powered flight.
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