In a daring rescue mission, three injured Australian researchers were saved from a crumbling ice shelf on Tuesday after surviving for around 24 hours in sub-zero temperatures. 

Weather in your inbox

Forecast Location

Sign Up

By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the researchers were injured when their helicopter crashed on the crevasses of the Amery Ice Shelf on Sunday. The reason for the helicopter crash is unknown. A second Eurocopter Squirrel helicopter was flying in tandem with the researchers and was able to land and offer medical assistance and build a survival tent to keep the injured scientists warm. 

The scientists had been doing a research survey of a penguin colony near Cape Darnley and were returning from that mission when their helicopter crashed.

A first rescue attempt was thwarted when a ski-equipped aircraft was forced to turn around after finding nowhere to land on the dangerous terrain. 

(MORE: 10 Wild Wilderness Careers)

A second rescue attempt involving three aircraft successfully retrieved the injured researchers and the crew members from the second helicopter, reported Discovery News. 

All three injured scientists were recovering and in stable condition, said the Australian Antarctic Division.

"The accident is a reminder of the challenges facing scientists working in this environment," said Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt. 

Any type of rescue mission in Antarctica is infinitely more complicated than a normal rescue would be, reported LiveScience. Between the harsh weather (winds sometimes reach hurricane-force levels) and the lack of sunlight in the winter, planes have a hard time taking off and landing. 

Fortunately for this team of researchers, November and December are some of the warmest months on the continent, reported NBC. Warm is a relative term, though, since temperatures rarely get above 30 degrees, and the the researchers may have been more seriously hurt if not for having a heated tent. 

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Vintage Arctic and Antarctic Explorations