A member of a South African research team in an isolated database in Antarctica was subject to a psychological assessment after colleagues accused him of physical assault and sexual harassment, government officials said.
The situation at the base of Sanae IV was reported for the first time in the Swedish Times newspaper in South Africa, who said he saw an email from a team member to the authorities pleading to obtain aid.
The email said that the man had attacked the base chief and threatened, a behavior that the team member described as having “degenerated to a deeply disturbing point”. The team member spoke in the email “deeply concerned about my own security” and “constantly asking me if I could become the next victim”.
The South African Environment Ministry, which oversees research missions, replied to the report in a statement on Monday evening.
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A frozen section of the Ross Sea is represented at the base of Scott in Antarctica on Saturday November 12, 2016. (Mark Ralston / Pool Photo via AP, File)
The alleged assault was reported on February 27, according to the ministry. The managers and advisers intervened at a distance “to mediate and restore the base relations”, speaking with the nine members of the team almost daily, according to the press release.
“The alleged perpetrator has readily participated in an additional psychological assessment, has shown remorse and is readily cooperative,” said the ministry, adding that he had written official apology to the victim of alleged assault.
A Sea Sea Gold View of Queen Maud Land. (Kanus / Ultlstein Bild via Getty Images, File)
The investigation also examines alleged sexual harassment, although sexual assault reports have been false, the ministry said. No member of the team was identified, and officials said that none of the incidents should be a member of the team to return to CAP.
Fox News Digital contacted the South African Environment Ministry for more details on what led to alleged physical assault but did not immediately hear.
The team, which includes scientists, a doctor and engineers, came to the base distant on February 1 and should stay for about 13 months, the authorities said.
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The base is on a cliff in Queen Maud Land and is surrounded by a ice ice cap, more than 2,485 miles from South Africa.
The Penguins walk on the shore of Bahia Almirantazgo in Antarctica on January 27, 2015. (AP photo / Natacha Pisarenko, file)
The team will last to live in narrow neighborhoods through the hostile winter of Antarctica, which has six months of darkness from June.
The ministry said that each member of the team undergoes assessments, including psychological and medical, to ensure that they can face the “extreme nature of the environment in Antarctic”.
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“Even if all evaluations and evaluations show no area of concern, it is not uncommon that individuals arrive in extremely remote areas where the scientific bases are located, an initial environment of the environment is necessary,” said the ministry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
