On April 22, traveler and full member of the Russian Geographical Society Fyodor Konyukhov announced that polar seasonal station Druzhnaya was lost alongside Antarctic iceberg A23a in an event from 1986.
Konyukhov revealed the details at his press conference titled “Single station,” which presented results from an expedition to Antarctica. He explained that when the iceberg broke off, the station — then home to an expedition led by Dmitry Shparo — was swept away with all equipment into the ocean.
“The participants had planned to fly to Antarctica, but received a message about the chipping of an ice floe,” Konyukhov said. “Along with that, our station and prepared equipment, including skis, went into the ocean.”
Konyukhov added that he has long dreamed of living in Antarctica, and now it has become reality for him.
According to the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AAI), on April 21, iceberg A23a had fragmented into smaller pieces. The institute reported that by January, the iceberg covered approximately 1,300 square kilometers, but its size has since decreased to less than 50 square kilometers — representing a loss of nearly 99% of its original area.
