- An American was rescued from the U.S. McMurdo Station in Antarctica during a rare midwinter operation on July 31, due to a serious medical condition, and transported to a hospital in New Zealand.
- An aircraft flew from Hobart, Australia, for five and a half hours to reach Phoenix Airfield near McMurdo in complete darkness and extreme temperatures as low as minus 43 degrees Celsius (minus 45.4 degrees Fahrenheit).
- The patient was immediately flown to Christchurch Hospital in New Zealand on the same day, as worsening weather conditions at the Antarctic airstrip necessitated a swift departure.
- Mission co-pilot Louise Robertson stated that the minimal light and severe cold pushed the aircraft to its operational limits, describing the midwinter flight as very rare and close to being too cold to execute.
- This rescue follows previous medical evacuations from the U.S. Antarctic Program, including a New Zealand citizen in April and three individuals in August of the previous year, all conducted by the New Zealand Air Force.
IN FULL
American rescued from Antarctic base in rare midwinter rescue
