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Scientists, tourists rescued from Antarctic ship begin long journey home

An Australian icebreaker with 52 passengers rescued from a Russian ship trapped in Antarctic ice since Christmas Eve began the long journey home on Friday.

"The passengers seem very glad to now be with us and they are settling in to their new accommodation," Jason Mundy, Australian Antarctic Division Acting Director who is on board the ice breaker Aurora Australis, said on Friday morning.

(Read more: Australia sees budget deficit blowout of $42 billion)

A helicopter from the Chinese icebreaker Snow Dragon ferried the 52 scientists and tourists in small groups from the ice-bound Akademik Shokalskiy and transferred them to the Antarctic supply ship Aurora Australis late on Thursday.

This image taken by passenger Andrew Peacock of www.footloosefotography.com on December 29, 2013 shows a thin fresh coat of snow on the trapped ship MV Akademik Shokalskiy as it waits to be rescued.Andrew Peacock | AFP | Getty Images

The Aurora Australis is now sailing towards open water and will then head towards an Antarctic base to complete a resupply before returning to Australia.

Passengers, mostly Australians and New Ze alanders, will probably arrive in Australia's southern island state of Tasmania around mid-January. The Russian crew on the Akademik Shokalskiy will stay onboard until the ice breaks up and frees the ship.

The rescue, repeatedly delayed due to weather and ice conditions, kicked off late on Thursday afternoon and took around five hours to complete.

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Chris Turney, who led the private expedition, documented the rescue mission from the stranded ship with regular posts depicting videos and photographs.

"The first of the helicopters to take us home! Thanks everyone!" Turney and another passenger said cheerfully in a short video clip when the helicopter arrived to take the first group of 12 people.

Photographs showed passengers bundled in heavy parka jackets, snow goggles and hats, boarding a helicopter amid a backdrop of snowdrifts and clear blue skies – a big change from the cloud, howling gales and slow flurries that had prevented earlier rescue attempts.

"We've made it to the Aurora Australis safe & sound," Turney said on Twitter late on Thursday.

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