The United States has sent a heavy icebreaker to help free a Russian ship and a Chinese icebreaker gripped by Antarctic ice. The American assistance was requested by Australian authorities as well as from the Russian and Chinese governments.<br /><br />The Chinese icebreaker helped rescue 52 passengers from the Russian ship stranded in ice found itself stuck on Friday.<br /><br />The Russian ship was the first to become trapped 100 nautical miles from the French Antarctic station Dumont d’Urville.<br /><br />Tourists and scientist on the Russian ship amused themselves for eight days with yoga, learning languages and knot-tying classes.<br /><br />They stomped a rescue helicopter landing space onto the snow and ice and rang in the new year with dinner and singing songs.<br /><br />The rescued tourists and scientists are all safe and well, but the Russian crew are still waiting for the Americans to rescue them.
