Russia has sent in the army to bolster a week-long struggle to rescue 10 tons of beer trapped under Siberian ice, Itar-Tass news agency said Tuesday.

A lorry carrying the beer sank when trying to cross the frozen Irtysh river, and a rescue team of six divers, 10 workers and a modified T-72 tank from the emergencies ministry have so far failed to save the load.

"The situation hasn't developed according to our ideal scenario," the deputy head of the Cherlaksky region, told the agency. Temperatures were around minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region, near the Siberian city of Omsk and around 1,400 miles from Moscow.

A week-long effort to cut a 100 yard corridor to the river bank to pull the truck to dry land failed when the vehicle was swept away from the rescue site, Tass said.

But it said the soldiers were confident it would take them just a day to retrieve the beer.

Close

Today's Top News		Top International News
+China GDP speeds up; pace seen continuing ( 2004-01-20) +China sets up daily reporting system to monitor bird flu ( 2004-01-20) +Bush to set re-election themes in speech ( 2004-01-21) +China opposes Taiwan Relations Act ( 2004-01-21) +U.S. accuses China of dumping plastic bags ( 2004-01-21)		+Army joins struggle to save beer ( 2004-01-21) +Israeli warplanes hit back for Hizbollah attack ( 2004-01-21) +U.S. says airstrike killed five militants in Afghanistan ( 2004-01-21) +Indonesia plant blast kills 2, hurts 68 ( 2004-01-21) +Bush to set re-election themes in speech ( 2004-01-21)