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Vast crack in ice prevents Konyukhov expedition from reaching coast

A vast crack in the ice prevents the Arctic expedition of Fyodor Konyukhov and Viktor Simonov from reaching the Canadian coast
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

VLADIVOSTOK, May 18 (Itar-Tass) - A vast crack in the ice prevents the Arctic expedition of Fyodor Konyukhov and Viktor Simonov from reaching the Canadian coast. The crack is more than a kilometre wide and hundreds of kilometres long.

Fyodor said by satellite telephone on Friday evening that from the morning they went not far and were faced with the crack. The distance to the other side is over a kilometre. "The real ocean is in front of us."

Before they came to the obstacle, they crossed small water fractures. For some time, the people and the dogs found themselves on a small ice field. They planned to use it as a bridge to reach the other side. However, when they stepped on the ice, the crossing passage broke behind them. The ice field slowly began to float. They had no choice but wait until the floe was washed somewhere, Konyukhov said.

During the floating on the ice, Fyodor and Viktor had time to have a cup of tea and a snack. They even expected to spend the night on the floe, but at some moment it touched the other side for a couple of minutes, and they could run across, but the dogs bathed. It is not so cold at present, and the sleds are half-empty. So, the situation was settled in short time, the traveler said.

According to the Canadian ice service, there is an ice bridge across the crack eight-ten kilometres away from the expedition. The Arctic travelers did not reach the site on Friday. Fyodor and Viktor plan to come to the "bridge" this Saturday and will try to go over a kilometre southward across ice blocks to reach the other side. Seventy five km are left to Canada’s Ward Hunt Island. "It is psychologically hard to see the land on the horizon, but move parallel westward," Konyukhov said.