Two missing after Antarctica fall

There has been no contact with the missing pair

Fears are growing over the fate of two Argentines who fell down a deep crevasse in Antarctica on Saturday.

The two - a scientist and a member of the navy - were crossing the Collins Glacier, on King George Island, on a snowmobile when they disappeared.

The three other team members were rescued from the edge of the crevasse, which is thought to be more than 30m deep, on Sunday.

There has been no contact with the missing pair.

Weather conditions on the glacier are said to be difficult, and reports suggest the area is full of crevasses which are hard to see because of a coating of snow.

Failed attempt

Argentine media report that the team was travelling on three snowmobiles from Uruguay's General Artigas base to the Argentine base of Jubany.

Augusto Thibaud, a biologist, and the navy's Teofilo Gonzalez were in front and suddenly disappeared into the crevasse.

The others managed to stop their snowmobiles in time, Argentina's Clarin newspaper reported.

The remaining three initially refused to leave on board a Chilean helicopter sent to rescue them, saying they wanted to help their team mates.

The 30m long ropes they were given did not appear to reach the bottom of the crevasse, and all attempts to contact the missing men met with silence.

A day later, after enduring a blizzard with winds of up to 60km/h (37mph), the three men were airlifted to safety having marked a firm patch of ice for the helicopter to land on.

A new rescue effort is expected to be launched on Monday.