MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hillary criticizes US and UK activities in Antarctica.

Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand the first man to conquer Mount Everest and the second to reach the South Pole in 1958 is back in Antarctica strongly criticizing United States and Great Britain two of the countries most involved in Antarctic activities

The great explorer now 85, travelled this week to NZ Scott base to pay homage and film a documentary about the crash of a New Zealand aircraft 25 years ago which killed 257 passengers.

However before leaving Sir Edmund was interviewed by the "Dominion Post" revealing he was "shocked" with the US project to build a road across Antarctic territory and angry at Britain for not looking after the historic shelters of Sir Robert Scott who died on his way back from the South Pole in 1912, and of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.

The road being built by the US is "something terrible; I'm totally against it. I believe they must continue to use aircrafts as they have been doing for years and years", pointed out Sir Edmund.

"I must admit I don't wish them success in their enterprise of crossing the Antarctic territory. They are destroying the Pole using huge vehicles to clear the snow, ice and crevasses".

According to the "Dominion Post" to build the 1,600 kilometres access road in the coldest and windiest continent the US are using thousands of tons of dynamite to destroy crevasses and cover them with tons of rock.

Sir Edmund is scheduled to spend six days in Scott base which he helped establish in 1956, where he will be filming part of the documentary on the November 29, 1979 tragedy.

In the accident another explorer was killed Peter Mulgrew, and Sir Edmund is currently married to the widow.