British explorers cross Antarctica in record time

A 10-member team of British explorers have claimed that they completed travel to cross 1,945.9 km Antarctica, the southernmost continent, in record 13 days.

The Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition said it smashed all previous traveling time to cross the white continent in under 13 days.

The total distance covered was 1,945.9km (1209 miles) in 303 hours.

The team set off from the Union Glacier airstrip on Nov 25 and reached on the Ross Ice Shelf earlier on Thursday.

A statement of the group’s website said: “The team has crossed the continent! The Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition team have just completed the fastest ever vehicle crossing of the Antarctic continent.

“The team will now retrace their tracks to the South Pole, and back to the west coast at Union Glacier. They hope to complete the return trip in around nine days; they will then be the only vehicle-based expedition ever to complete the there-and-back journey,” the statement said.