After 10 days stranded far from home, all 52 passengers from a ship stuck in Antarctic ice have now been transferred by helicopter to an Australian icebreaker. "It's 100% we're off! A huge thanks to all," tweeted Chris Turney, an Australian professor among the group of scientists, journalists and tourists marooned on the ship. A helicopter from a nearby Chinese icebreaker ferried passengers Thursday to the Australian icebreaker, the Aurora Australis. The rescue is the latest chapter in a saga that began Christmas Eve after the Russian-flagged MV Akademik Shokalskiy got stuck in unusually thick ice. Officials abandoned a succession of other rescue attempts in recent days because of the treacherous conditions in the region.
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Chief mate: Passengers are very happy now to be on the Australian icebreaker
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He thanks Chinese icebreaker crew whose helicopter ferried 52 to safety
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"It's 100% we're off! A huge thanks to all," a professor on the ship tweets
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22 Russian crew members are still on board the trapped ship, the MV Akademik Shokalskiy
Earlier Thursday, @placeholder authorities had said a plan involving the helicopter and a barge was put on hold because of shifting ice conditions.