British explorer marooned on Siberian island and forced to fend off polar bears

Intrepid Hannah McKeand, 44, became stranded last month on the bleak Golomyanny Island, in the Kara Sea, with Canadian adventurer Dongsheng Liu.

The pair were left trapped at the start of a daring North Pole bid when their Russian support helicopter crashed soon after dropping them off.

Bristol-born Ms McKeand and Mr Lui pleaded for help, saying they were sheltering from polar bears in a far-flung, abandoned meteorological station.

Now she has revealed on Twitter they have finally been rescued by plane and taken to Khatanga, on the Russian mainland’s northern Taymyr Peninsula.

She tweeted on Tuesday: “We took a plane! Now we are in a new end-of-the-world place! Khatanga!

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“There might be a passing charter plane that will take us. Otherwise next Tuesday!”

According to reports, a KrasAir plane was sent from Krasnoyarsk – in central Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Krai region – to rescue them.

On February 24th – seeking to reach the North Pole from Siberia – the pair were flown to Golomyanny Island.

Shortly afterwards the Mi-8 helicopter crashed on Cape Artic and was completely destroyed.

Miraculously those still on board survived and were evacuated but it left the two explorers without any air support.

Rather than carry on their expedition they decided to hold out at the meteorological station, some 560 miles from the North Pole.

In brief Facebook postings, Ms McKeand said without more explanation: “There have been some complications.

“Living here is an adventure though. Huge polar bear around the house last night, looking in the windows.

“Our expedition will not proceed this year and we are awaiting an exit opportunity.”

Last month a Russian official in Krasnoyarsk, 1,600 miles south of the ice-covered island, said he had received a barely decipherable satellite phone call from Ms McKeand pleading for evacuation.

Roman Teleshun said: “She called from the satellite phone, it worked only from some point where she went out.

“The connection was, in fact, terrible. Barely understood what she was saying.”

Experienced Bristol-born polar explorer Ms McKeand has skied more times to the South Pole than anyone in history.

She attended the University of Wales Lampeter and achieved a degree in Classics before starting a career in theatre.

But she switched from the stage to exploring and in 2005 sailed round the world in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, before skiing solo to the South Pole.

In March 2008 she attempted to reach the North Pole alone but abandoned the attempt after falling through the ice and badly damaging her shoulder and back.

She once held the record for the fastest solo unsupported ski journey from the Antarctica coast to the South Pole, a 600-nautical-mile (1,100 km) journey.

She achieved that feat in 2006, completing it in just 39 days, nine hours and 33 minutes.


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