MOSCOW AP A Russian helicopter Tuesday rescued a three-man television crew that had been stranded on a remote Arctic island by bad weather and was running out of food and other supplies officials said. A helicopter from the Ministry of Emergency Situations evacuated the trio which included a Russian a Japanese and an Australian who had been making a documentary on polar bears. The crew was taken to the port of Pevek a ministry spokesman said. The crew arrived on Wrangel Island on Sept. 2 and intended to leave Oct. 15 but were delayed by bad weather. The weather also prevented the Emergency Situations Ministry from sending a rescue helicopter. The three were holed up in a cabin on the island's northeast coast about 550 kilometers 350 miles west of Alaska. Their food supplies were running out raising concerns about the men. Residents of a village about 130 kilometers 80 miles from the hut attempted to take emergency supplies to the crew but were defeated by bad weather. The temperature on the island has been around minus 30 Celsius minus 22 Fahrenheit with a strong wind. The Japanese crew member Tatsuhiko Kobayashi developed complications from a recent eye operation Russia's ORT television reported. Emergency officials earlier offered to try to rescue the crew by snow tractor but the three reportedly turned down the offer because they would have been forced to leave most of their equipment behind ORT television reported. Kobayashi is an employee of NHK the Japanese television company. The Australian is cameraman John McGuiness. The name of the Russian was not available. ren APW19981201.0025.txt.body.html APW19981201.1013.txt.body.html