Army deployed in beer rescue

MOSCOW, Russia -- Russian troops have retrieved 10 tons of beer trapped under Siberian ice, the Itar-Tass news agency has reported.

The truck carrying the beer sank when trying to cross the frozen Irtysh river, near the Siberian city of Omsk, around 2,200 km (1,400 miles) from Moscow.

The driver and his partner managed to escape, leaving the beer-laden truck.

The rescue team of six divers, 10 workers and a modified T-72 tank from the Emergencies Ministry managed to save the load after a week-long operation.

They pulled the truck to an ice hole, opened the doors, and managed to pull out the kegs and bottles of beer.

But as they were ready to retrieve the truck, the rope tore, leaving the truck on the bottom of the river, deputy head of the Cherlak district administration Vasily Yatkovsky told Tass.

The Rosar brewery in Omsk, part of the Interbrew Belgian group, says it is ready to take the beer back.

With temperatures around minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit) in the area, the brewery told Tass the beer was still in good condition.

Tass quoted the brewery as saying it will sell the beer as a rarity, but with a discount.