- An Australian man trekking to the North Pole has had his quest cut short after he crashed through some ice in Nunavut and had to be rescued by two military search planes.
The Joint Co-ordination Rescue Centre, based at CFB Trenton, in Ontario, was notified Thursday that 40-year-old Tom Smitheringale had crashed through the ice and plunged into freezing water about 400-kilometres north of Alert.
An official at the rescue centre says two aircraft were dispatched from Yellowknife to pluck the man off the ice.
They found him suffering from frostbite to his hands and he was exhausted from his ordeal, but officials at the centre say it appears he's going to recover.
Smitheringale set out on Feb. 26 in an attempt to be the first Australian, and third person ever, to ski unaided to the geographic North Pole.
According to a website dedicated to Smitheringale's trek, he set out from McClintock Inlet, one of the northern-most regions of Nunavut, and planned to travel about 800 kilometres to complete his journey.