A plane has landed at the South Pole after a nine-hour journey over the icy continent to evacuate a sick worker from a remote science station.
The aircraft set out from Rothera - a British base on the Antarctic peninsula - according to the National Science Foundation , which runs the American outpost.
The pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and medical worker will rest for at least 10 hours before refuelling and making the marathon 1,500-mile journey back to Rothera, said NSF spokesman Peter West.
The worker - whose medical condition has not been disclosed - will then be flown out of Antarctica for treatment.
"It went all according to plan," said Mr West.
A second worker is also ill, but officials have yet to decide whether that patient will also fly out, he added.
Daring Antarctic Rescue Mission At South Pole