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Four US scientists and a contractor who were carrying out research on Joinville Island off the north-eastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, have been rescued by the Argentine navy after thick ice prevented the US icebreaker vessels that was due pick them up, from reaching them.

The rescue operation took two-and-a-half hours, as both the team and their equipment were airlifted onto the Argentine icebreaker Almirante Irízar by helicopter. 

They were all brought back in good health.

The ARA Almirante Irízar was at Carlini Base, a research station on King George Island, when it received a help request from the US Antarctic Programme, the Argentine Foreign Ministry said.

It then made its way to Joinville through "ice of considerable thickness".

Argentine officials said that the US team would be transferred to the Laurence M Gould as soon as weather conditions allowed.

The Argentine navy published a video of the helicopter rescue on its Twitter account.

BBC