Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
A member of a South African research team on an isolated base in Antarctica was put under Psychological evaluation After his colleagues accused him of physical aggression and sexual harassment, government officials said.
The situation at the base of Sanae IV was first informed in South Africa The Sunday Times newspaper, who said he saw an email from a team member to the authorities asking for help.
The email said that the man had attacked the base leader and made a threat of death, the behavior that the team member described as “intensified a point that is deeply disturbing.” The team member said in the email “deeply concerned about my own security” and “constantly wondering if I could become the next victim.”
The Ministry of Environment of South Africa, which supervises the investigation missions, responded to the report in a statement on Monday night.
FBI problems spring vacation travel warning after the disappearance of American university students
A frozen section of the Ross Sea is shown at the Scott Base in Antarctica on Saturday, November 12, 2016. (Mark Ralston/Pool Photo through AP, file)
The alleged assault was reported on February 27, according to the Ministry. The officials and the directors intervened remotely “to mediate and restore relations at the base”, speaking with the nine team members almost daily, according to the statement.
“The alleged author has voluntarily participated in an additional psychological evaluation, has shown remorse and is voluntarily cooperative,” said the ministry, added that he had written a formal apology to the victim of the alleged assault.
A view of the frozen sea of Queen Maud Land. (This/Ullstein Bild through Getty images, file)
Research is also looking for sexual harassment, although reports from sexual aggression They were false, the ministry said. No members of the team were identified, and officials said that none of the incidents required that any team member returned to Cape Cabo.
Fox News Digital contacted the Ministry of Environment of South Africa to obtain details about what led to the alleged physical assault, but did not receive an immediate response.
The team, which includes scientists, a doctor and engineers, He reached the remote base on February 1 and is expected to stay for about 13 months, authorities said.
The massive floating energy plant is making waves
The base is in a cliff in the land of Queen Maud and is surrounded by a layer of glacial ice, more than 2,485 miles from South Africa.
The penguins walk on the edge of Bahía Almirantazgo in Antarctica on January 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, Archive)
The team will support living in closed rooms through the hostile Antarctic winter, which has six months of darkness from June.
The Ministry said that each team member undergoes evaluations, including psychological and medical, to ensure that they can deal with “extreme nature of the environment in Antarctica.”
Click to get the Fox News application
“Although all evaluations and evaluations do not show areas of concern, it is not uncommon for people to reach extremely remote areas where the scientific bases are located, an initial adjustment to the environment is required,” the ministry said.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
