TWO seriously ill weathermen were airlifted by helicopter off the remote Marion island early on Sunday to the South African Navy icebreaker the Outeniqua, and are in a stable condition, the SABC reported. The men, one suffering a bleeding stomach ulcer and the other from a heart condition, are not likely to need an operation in the hospital on board the vessel, the ship’s surgeon said on Sunday. The icebreaker is expected to leave the island, in the southern Indian Ocean, some 1_700km southeast of South Africa, Sunday at about 4pm and dock in South Africa early Thursday. The ship reached the island on Friday but stormy weather on Saturday prevented an air force helicopter from rescue attempts. Winds were gusting at up to 72 knots per hour, it was pouring with rain and the crew was battling in heavy seas the navy said at the time, not expecting the weather to clear until Monday. – AFP