Russian Women Reach The South Pole

An expedition of five Russian women became the second to reach the South Pole this year, a news agency reported Friday.

The women’s expedition, named Metelitsa, reached the South Pole on Thursday at 8 p.m. Moscow time, Interfax said. The news was relayed by a radio operator in Chile.

The women traveled the final several hundred miles in strong winds and heavy snow, Interfax reported.

The expedition group, which derives its name from the Russian word for blizzard, has made 14 trips to the Arctic and three to Antarctica.

The first expedition to reach the South Pole this year also was Russian; solo explorer Fyodor Konyukhov arrived on skis Jan. 7.