Fear at isolated Antarctica base as a man is accused of attacking a colleague and making threats
Cape Town, South Africa (AP) – A member of the South African Research Team is limited to more than a year in isolated Antarctica Government officials said the base was placed in light of the psychological evaluation there after it was sexually assaulted and colleagues.
The problems were reported at the Sanae IV base for the first time by the Sunday Times in South Africa, which it said had witnessed an email from a team member to the authorities last month claiming that the man attacked the leader of al -Qaeda and took over threats.
He appealed to the e -mail to help.
“His behavior has escalated to a very annoying point,” said the email, according to the Sunday Times. “I am still worried about my safety, I constantly wonder if you have become the next victim.” The report said that the man threatened the death.
The South African Ministry of Environment, which supervises the research tasks, said in a statement on Monday night that the alleged attack on al -Qaeda leader was reported on February 27, and officials and advisers intervened a dimension “to mediate and restore relations at Al Qaeda.” They said they were talking to the team members almost daily.
The ministry said: “The perpetrator of the alleged crime has participated in Tayeb Khater in more psychological evaluation, and he showed remorse for a good thing,” adding that he wrote an official apology to the alleged victim of the attack. She said the allegations were being investigated. No one was identified.
The authorities said that the team, which consists of nine members, which includes scientists, the doctor and engineers, will remain at the base for 13 months until next year, with it in the near winter during the winter anti -weapon, which starts six months of darkness in June.
The base is on a cliff in the land of Queen Maud and is surrounded by an ice ice dish, over 4000 km (2485 miles) from South Africa.
The upcoming visit will be by the supply ship in December, according to the South African National Program Antarctica. The ship takes about 10 days to travel from Cape Town.
The authorities said they decided not to evacuate anyone from Sanae IV, as it means the unpredictable weather conditions that the team is now confined to the base.
The ministry said that all team members had undergone evaluations before the trip to ensure that they are able to deal with the “maximum nature of the environment in Antarctica”, isolation and imprisonment, and no problems have been identified.
He said: “It is not uncommon that once individuals reach the very remote areas where the scientific rules are found, a preliminary seizure of the environment is required.”
Previous problems have been reported in remote search rules in South Africa On Marion IslandSouth Africa near Antarctica.
In 2017, a member of a research team had a colleague room with an ax of a clear love triangle, according to a report to Parliament in South Africa. Legislators said that the researchers appeared to be living in very stressful circumstances.
The National Science Corporation, the Federal Agency, which oversees Antarctica in the United StatesHe published a report in 2022, in which 59 % of women in the American program said An experienced harassment or assault While on search trips on Antarctica.
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