Rescue teams have reached a fishing boat with 26 people aboard trapped in ice near Antarctica and plan to use an unmanned underwater vehicle to assess the damage to it, the Associated Press reports.
The US Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star sailed hundreds of nautical miles through heavy ice to reach the Antarctic Chieftan on Saturday.
The boat suffered damage to three of its four propeller blades and lost its ability to maneuver after becoming stuck in the ice Wednesday.
The rescuers plan to free the stranded vessel and tow or escort it to a harbor.
