News In Brief

8 Soviet ships rescued, others trapped, in Arctic

Icebreakers have smashed through frozen Arctic waters to free eight Soviet freighters trapped north of Siberia, but ice pressure is increasing on other vessels immobilized there, the Soviet news agency Tass said Monday. It said conditions were worsening in the frozen Chukotsk Sea, where ships have been trapped for two weeks. One cargo ship has already sunk after ice crushed its hull, and another had enormous gashes in its side. The agency said strong winds and falling temperatures were hampering further rescue efforts.