Australia has initiated an urgent mission to rescue a researcher suffering from a "developing medical condition" at the remote Casey research station in Antarctica, BBC reports.
The operation involves the icebreaker RSV Nuyina, which departed from Tasmania last week. Harsh conditions ruled out an air rescue, and the Nuyina, equipped with helicopters, was prepared over several weeks for the mission. The researcher, an Australian, requires specialized treatment, although the specific condition has not been disclosed.
The Casey research station is approximately 3,443 km (2,139 miles) from Hobart in Tasmania and is one of three permanent Antarctic stations operated by the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP). The icebreaker Nuyina, costing A$528mn ($342mn; £271mn) to build, has a top speed of 16 knots (around 18 miles per hour), making the journey several days long.
Air evacuation wasn't feasible due to the condition of the nearby Wilkins Aerodrome and the time it would take to prepare its ice runway. The remote research station has limited medical facilities, with only about 20 personnel during the harsh winter conditions. The AAP emphasized that the "well-being of our people is our highest priority" and is keeping the researcher's family informed. Evacuations from Antarctica are intricate, costly, and often require international assistance.
In December 2020, Australia received help from the US and China to evacuate an expeditioner, and earlier that year, an Australian Airbus A319 was dispatched to McMurdo station to evacuate an unwell American.
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