Storm delays rescue of ill woman from Antarctica

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Efforts to evacuate an ill American woman from the South Pole have been delayed due to a storm, a newspaper reported.

Renee-Nicole Douceur, whom doctors suspect suffered from a stroke or brain tumor in late August, had hoped to fly Monday to the city of Christchurch in New Zealand.

But a planned rescue flight from Chile, which was due to fly into a British research station in Antarctica en route to the South Pole, was not able to land because of bad weather, the Christchurch newspaper The Press said. The weather could clear and allow a landing some time during the weekend, the paper said.

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The 58-year-old Douceur had earlier asked for an emergency evacuation but was turned down due to concerns over the safety of making such a flight. Her symptoms include faulty vision, as well as speech and memory problems.

Douceur, who is from the small coastal town of Seabrook in New Hampshire, works as a manager for contractor Raytheon Polar Services Co.