中国直升机开始撤离俄罗斯科考船乘客

Dozens of passengers aboard a Russian research ship stuck for over a week in Antarctic ice are being evacuated Thursday, after a rescue helicopter finally was able to land nearby.

Video posted on Twitter by Chris Turney, one of the scientists on the ship, showed a Chinese helicopter carrying passengers from the Akademik Shokalskiy, which has been stranded since Christmas Eve.

Fifty-two passengers - including scientists, tourists, and journalists - are waiting to board the helicopter, 12 at a time. They will be carried to an Australian icebreaker ship, which they will then take on a weeks-long journey to land.

Blizzard conditions hampered previous attempts to evacuate the passengers by helicopter. Icebreaker ships from China, Australia, and France had also failed to reach the Russian vessel.