MOSCOW. April 18 (Interfax) - A party of seven teenagers, some with limited physical abilities, two Arctic explorers and Russian ombudsman for children Pavel Astakhov is stranded at the North Pole by a snowstorm with their evacuation impossible and their food supply close to running out, Astakhov's spokesman said on Saturday.

"The expedition at the North Pole has resumed contact. The weather has deteriorated sharply - there's a snowstorm. Evacuation is impossible. Their supplies of food and fuel are running out," Renat Abdeyev told Interfax.

"According to a message from Pavel Astakhov, the weather