Free again - Chinese vessel stuck while rescuing passengers of Russian ship

[BEIJING] A Chinese ship broke free yesterday from Antarctic ice in which it became stuck after rescuing passengers from a trapped Russian vessel, state media reported.

The Xue Long, or Snow Dragon, "pulled free of the ice and navigated into the open waters", said the official Xinhua news agency, which has a reporter on board the vessel.

According to state broadcaster China Central Television, the Xue Long spent 14 hours working to break through the ice and finally reached the open waters at 6 pm Beijing time (1000 GMT) yesterday.