The New Zealand air force said on Wednesday that it evacuated three people from a United States research base in Antarctica.
One person needed urgent medical care and two others needed medical attention, the Royal New Zealand Air Force said in a statement. The extreme cold and landing in the dark made it one of the most challenging air rescues performed, said Andy Scott, a New Zealand air commodore.
“(It is) an extremely challenging environment to fly in on night vision goggles due to the extreme weather conditions, which are highly changeable at this time of year and makes accurate forecasting a challenge,” he said.
“This, coupled with there being no airfields available to divert to once the aircraft is past a certain point south, adds to the risk, so these missions are not taken lightly,” he added.
The 20-hour mission took place in complete darkness in the Antarctic winter. Temperatures at the base fell as low as -24 Celsius or -11 Fahrenheit on Tuesday.
The rescue aircraft landed in Christchurch on Wednesday morning. Details on nationalities were not provided.
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The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires for New Zealand, Melissa Sweeney, said the rescue was executed “flawlessly”.
“We are so very grateful. Our Kiwi partners didn’t hesitate to undertake this mission in one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth. Their skill and readiness are truly world-class,” she said