(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-11 09:01

PRAGUE - Miluse Netolicka, 34, reached the North Pole on Wednesday night becoming the first Czech woman performing such a feat, Gabriela Niznanska, from Central Group for which Netolicka works, said on Thursday.

Netolicka reached the North Pole together with another two Czech men who also work with Central Group, the Czech news agency CTK said, adding that the expedition started in March.

Adverse weather conditions and problems with fuel largely complicated the return of the expedition's return to the Russian polar base Barneo and that is why a helicopter will only pick them up tonight, according to CTK.

With the exception of slight frostbites, all expedition members are in order, Niznanska said.

"I must say I was not able to imagine such cold," Netolicka said by phone from the North Pole where the temperature dropped to minus 40 degrees centigrade.

Three Czech expeditions have chosen the North Pole as their destination this spring. On Saturday, an L-200 Morava vintage plane with pilots Petr Bold and Richard Santus reached the pole. They returned to the Czech Republic on Wednesday.

Documentary and travel film director Petr Horky together with Miroslav Jakes who has been five times to the North Pole plan to reach the pole along the Messner path on Sunday.