Geographically Challenging

Via Best of the Web Today comes this Associated Press story describing the work of Russian scientists in Antarctica:

MOSCOW (AP) — After more than two decades of drilling in Antarctica, Russian scientists have reached a gigantic freshwater lake hidden under miles of ice for some 20 million years

Interesting work to be sure, and I sure wouldn't want to spend 20 years in Antarctica. The real interesting thing about the article, though, is AP's description of where exactly this achievement occurred:

The Russian team hit the lake Sunday at the depth of 12,366 feet (3,769 meters) about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) southeast of the South Pole in the central part of the continent.

Southeast of the South Pole? In my understanding of latitude and longitude, there isn't anyplace on the globe that could be accurately described in such a manner. Southeast of the Magnetic South Pole would make some sense, but it doesn't say that. Were they actually Northeast of the Pole? Probably, but one would have thought an editor someplace along the line would have noticed such an absurdity.