Passengers rescued off ship stuck in Antarctic ice

Passengers rescued off ship stuck in Antarctic ice

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — All 52 passengers trapped for more than a week on an icebound Russian research ship in the Antarctic were rescued today when a Chinese helicopter swooped in and plucked them from the ice a dozen at a time. The dramatic international rescue operation became possible once the weather finally cleared. Blinding snow, strong winds, fog and thick sea ice had forced rescuers to turn back time and again.