A member of a South African investigation team was housed in Antarctica on an isolated base psychological evaluation After colleagues accused him of physical attack and sexual harassment, government officials said.
The situation on the Sanae IV basis was reported for the first time in South Africa Sunday Times -newspaper, who said it saw an e -mail from a team member to authorities who begged for help.
The e -mail claimed that the man had attacked the basic leader and had made a death threat, behavior that the team member described as “escalated to a point that is deeply disturbing”. The team member has pronounced in the e -mail “Deep delivered about my own safety” and “constantly wonders if I could become the next victim.”
The Ministry of Environment of South Africa, which supervises the research missions, responded in a statement in a statement on Monday evening.
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A frozen part of the Ross Sea is depicted on the Scott -Basis in Antarctica on Saturday 12 November 2016. (Mark Ralston/Pool photo via AP, File)
The alleged attack was reported on 27 February, according to the ministry. Civil servants and counselors came at a distance between “to mediate and restore relationships at the base,” said the statement almost daily with the nine team members, according to the statement.
“The alleged perpetrator has willingly participated in further psychological evaluation, has shown repentance and is a willing cooperative,” said the ministry, adding that he had written a formal apology to the victim of the alleged attack.
A view of the frozen sea of ​​Queen Maud land. (This/Ullstein Bild via Getty images, file)
The research is also investigating alleged sexual harassment, although reports of sexual abuse were incorrect, the ministry said. No members of the team were identified and officials said that none of the incidents required a team member that they return to Cape Town.
Fox News Digital reached for the Ministry of Environment of South Africa for details about what led to the alleged physical attack, but did not immediately hear again.
The team that includes Scientists, a doctor and engineers, Arriving on the remote base on 1 February and it is expected that the authorities said about 13 months.
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The basis is on a cliff in Queen Maud Land and is surrounded by an ice sheet, more than 2,485 miles from South Africa.
Penguins walk on the banks of Bahia Almirantazgo in Antarctica on January 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
The team will endure life in narrow neighborhoods by the hostile Antarctic winter, which has for six months of darkness that starts in June.
The ministry said that every team member is undergoing evaluations, including psychological and medical, to ensure that they can enter into the “extreme nature of the environment in Antarctica”. “
“Although all assessments and evaluations do not show areas of attention, it is not unusual that as soon as individuals arrive at the extremely remote areas where the scientific bases are located, a first adjustment to the environment is required,” the ministry said.
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
