A group of 65 tourists, mostly Swedish, became stranded on King George Island in Antarctica due to a sudden snowstorm. Author Christina Larsson, celebrating her 60th birthday on the expedition, describes huddling for warmth and using trash bags for protection. All were back on the ship M/S Ocean Nova by Monday evening with no reported physical injuries according to the organizer.
The expedition on the ship M/S Ocean Nova, organized by the Swedish company Polarquest, began on November 9 in Ushuaia, Argentina, and was set to last three weeks. On Sunday, 65 passengers, guides, and a ship's doctor traveled by rubber boats to King George Island, an island in the South Shetland Islands just north of the Antarctic Peninsula, 12 miles from the mainland.
Suddenly, a severe snowstorm hit with winds of about 18 meters per second and high waves, making it impossible to return to the ship. 'Almost immediately, the expedition leader decided we should evacuate, but it was too late. The wind had picked up and the waves were high and strong,' says Christina Larsson, one of the stranded.
The group, which included several Swedes, was stuck for between half a day and a full day, about 26 hours. They had emergency equipment like aluminum blankets, but there weren't enough for everyone. 'We had aluminum blankets but they weren't enough for everyone, so we put on trash bags,' Larsson recounts. They huddled for warmth and later received provisions, hot coffee, and more equipment from the ship.
According to Polarquest CEO Marie Lannborn Barker, no one suffered physical injuries, and the weather improved on Monday. By 8 p.m., 49 of 65 people were back on board, and by 9 p.m., all were aboard and served dinner. A doctor on board followed up with the passengers. However, relatives and passengers report possible frostbite, inadequate equipment like tents without floors, and some falling into icy water during the rescue, though this is not confirmed by the organizer.
'Our focus right now is to get everyone on board and make them feel as good as possible,' says Lannborn Barker. The expedition is planned to continue and return to Ushuaia on November 29.
