Russian Expedition 'Goes Missing' in Antarctic
A Russian-Ukrainian crew that set sail in September on a historic sailing expedition around the South and North Poles has gone missing in the Antarctic, its spokeswoman said on Friday.
The eight-person crew on board the 29-metre (97-foot) Scorpius sailboat has made no radio or other contact since Monday night, Anna Subbotina, spokeswoman of the Russian Polar Sailing Expedition, told the Interfax news agency.
The mission website's last entry said the Scorpius met gale-force winds all day Monday on its way to Deception Island -- one of the South Shetland Islands that lie about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Subbotina said the Scorpius had apparently gone missing after becoming stuck in the ice between two international polar research stations.
"The Scorpius... got stranded in the ice between the polar stations Akademik Vernadsky and Bellinsgauzen" on Antarctica, Subbotina told Interfax.
Source: Agence France Presse
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