Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Antarctic Adventure Takes Deadly Turn

Support crew, boat missing after storm

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 1, 2011 5:52 AM CST

(Newser) – Three members of an Antarctic expedition are missing and presumed dead and the two survivors will have some tough questions to answer when they return to their native Norway. The survivors were dropped off by a yacht and planned to ride quad bikes to the South Pole, but were forced back by one of the worst Antarctic storms in decades, the Daily Mail reports. They made their way to the US base at McMurdo Sound and were evacuated to New Zealand after discovering the yacht and its three crew members had vanished.

American and New Zealand authorities, as well as a boat from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, searched for the missing vessel but found nothing but an ice-covered lifeboat. Expedition leader Jarle Andhoey—who planned the South Pole trip to mark the centenary of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen's expedition—is being criticized for breaking safety protocols by setting out at the wrong time of the year and failing to gain permission from authorities, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. (Click for more from Antarctica.)

Norwegian adventurer Jarle Andhoy has defended the expedition, saying he took all possible precautions to safeguard his crew. (Getty Images)

Norwegian adventurers Jarle Andhoy and Samuel Massie arrive from Antarctica at Christchurch International Airport yesterday. (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

13%

62%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Seriously Ill US Engineer Could Leave South Pole Soon

Cargo plane may rescue Renee Douceur if Antarctic weather allows

(NEWSER) - A sick American engineer who has been stranded at the South Pole since late August could be on her way home as soon as Friday. Renee Douceur—who suffered what she initially thought was a stroke but doctors now say may be a brain tumor—hopes to fly out on a British cargo plane scheduled to arrive during a brief break in the harsh weather at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station, AP reports. Raytheon Polar Services, which manages the station for the National Science Foundation, refused to arrange an evacuation on medical grounds. More»

Activists Halt Japan Whale Hunt

Harassment making Antarctic hunt 'unsafe,' says fisheries official

(NEWSER) - The Japanese have temporarily suspended an Antarctic whale hunt because of repeated harassment by activists from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The hunt, aiming to bag as many as 945 whales, has been halted because of "violent" disruptions, said the nation's top fisheries officials. No one has been injured nor have any vessels been damaged in the actions, which included throwing rancid butter at whalers and entangling a rope in a propeller, reports AP. More»

NZ Air Force Rescues Sick American in Antarctica

Evacuation flight to McMurdo station a success

(NEWSER) - New Zealand's air force has successfully accomplished a rare winter evacuation from America's McMurdo Antarctic research station. The flight, with three medical personnel aboard, took advantage of a brief break in blizzard conditions to land in temperatures of minus 32 degrees Fahrenheit and pick up a sick American worker, CNN reports. Weather conditions thwarted an earlier rescue attempt. The worker is in serious but stable condition, and will be hospitalized when the rescue flight reaches New Zealand. More»

Whaler, Activist Ship Collide Off Antarctica

Second clash this year in Japanese whaling standoff

(AP) - The anti-whaling ship the Bob Barker and a Japanese harpoon boat collided in the icy waters off Antarctica today—the second major clash this year in the increasingly belligerent standoff over Japanese whaling. The activist group Sea Shepherd, which sends vessels to confront the fleet each year, said a small hole was torn in the hull of its ship, but it was above the water line and the vessel was not in danger of sinking, the AP reports. More»

Antarctic Explorers' Century-Old Whisky Found

Distillery's Antarctica expedition recovers abandoned booze

(NEWSER) - Seven crates of whisky and brandy left behind by Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition have been recovered after over a century locked in the Antarctic ice. The expedition was forced to turn back short of reaching the South Pole in 1909 and left many supplies—including what must now be the world's best-chilled booze—behind under a hut. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Antarctic Adventure Takes Deadly Turn

Support crew, boat missing after storm

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

New Zealand • Antarctica • Sea Shepherd Conservation Society • South Pole • explorer

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Seriously Ill US Engineer Could Leave South Pole Soon

Cargo plane may rescue Renee Douceur if Antarctic weather allows

Activists Halt Japan Whale Hunt

Harassment making Antarctic hunt 'unsafe,' says fisheries official

NZ Air Force Rescues Sick American in Antarctica

Evacuation flight to McMurdo station a success

Whaler, Activist Ship Collide Off Antarctica

Second clash this year in Japanese whaling standoff

Antarctic Explorers' Century-Old Whisky Found

Distillery's Antarctica expedition recovers abandoned booze

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?