Antarctic researcher evacuated from Casey Station
An Australian researcher who fell ill at the country’s remote Casey Research Station in Antarctica has been successfully evacuated
The Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) has announced that a polar researcher who was suffering from a ‘developing medical condition’ has now been successfully evacuated from the Casey Research Station.
The patient, a man, is now reportedly aboard the icebreaker RSV Nuyina, having been flown from the station by helicopter.
The Nuyina is now making its way to Tasmania, where the patient will receive ‘specialist medical assessment and care’ at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
Medical facilities are limited at the research station – which only hosts about 20 people during the winter months. The Antarctic winter runs between March and October.
Additionally, evacuation by air was deemed impossible due to winter conditions – the nearby Wilkins aerodrome, located 70km southeast of Casey, has an ice runway that is typically closed during the winter months. Preparing it for use for the evacuation would reportedly have taken weeks of work.
Elsewhere – polar adventure company Quark Expeditions has announced its new Partner Portal for travel advisors and their firms.