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American Morning

Plane Scheduled to Leave South Pole with Sick Doctor

Aired April 25, 2001 - 9:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A daring polar rescue mission is delayed this morning. A plane is waiting to evacuate a sick American doctor from the bottom of the world, but extreme winter weather is preventing a take-off.

CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman joins us now by telephone from the plane's destination point, Punta Arenas, Chile.

Gary -- what's the latest?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Kyra, within an hour, we expect the South Pole rescue mission to continue. A small plane is in place right now on the pole, waiting to take out an ill U.S. doctor. Just minutes ago, we heard that the scheduled go time to leave the South Pole: 10:00 Eastern time.

So 50 minutes from now, they're expecting the small plane, the twin-engine eight-seater that had skis outfitted on the bottom to land on the South Pole, to leave the South Pole. The doctor's name is Ronald Shemenski. He's 59 years old, from Oak Harbor, Ohio.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE) researchers at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station, but the only physician who's there. He recently was diagnosed with pancreatitis, that's after he passed a gallstone. It's a potentially life-threatening condition.

The decision was made that he must leave the South Pole before it got too late in the winter. The South Polar winter stretches from February to October. It's very rare for any planes to land during those months, particularly not in May, June, July or August. So this was thought to be the last time safely a plane could possibly make it.

And indeed, yesterday, 8:00 Eastern time, that small plane, from a charter company in Canada that specializes in Antarctic flying, landed on the South Pole. They took a rest. They're going to leave this morning. A 10-hour flight to the Rothera station, that's a British science station on the tip of Antarctica, where the weather conditions aren't so harsh.

And then they'll come to where we are right now, Punta Arenas, Chile. This is southern Chile. This is one of the southernmost places in the world; the southernmost city closest to the South Pole. We expect that tomorrow that doctor will come here and then eventually fly back to Ohio for medical treatment. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Gary, and we'll be following that flight. Thanks so much.

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