Swede claims to be first man wheelchair to reach South Pole

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – A Swedish man is claiming to be the first person in the world to have reached the South Pole in a wheelchair.

Aron Anderson said he accomplished the feat on Wednesday after a 21-day journey in a wheelchair on skis.

He told Swedish public radio Thursday that temperatures averaged -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) during his 640- kilometer (400-miles) trek.

Speaking from the South Pole, Anderson said "the glide on the snow here is really hard" and that he now wanted "some real food, I'm kind of tired of this freeze-dried food."

He said the expedition had raised five million kronor ($538,000) to fight cancer among children in Sweden. On his website, Anderson explained he got cancer in the lower back aged seven and been in a wheelchair ever since.