Researcher "Threatened to Kill" Colleagues Trapped in Antarctic Base
As England's The Times reports, an unnamed climate researcher at the South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE IV), a scientific base on Norway's Queen Maud Land region of the frozen continent, allegedly threatened the life of one of his colleagues, physically attacking one coworker and sexually assaulted another.
In a pleading message shared with South Africa's Sunday Times, one of the man's coworkers begged their superiors for rescue. According to that letter, the researcher's behavior "has escalated to a point that is deeply disturbing" after he "physically assaulted" and "threatened to kill" at least one of the unnamed team members with whom he'll be stranded on the base for at least ten more months.
"His [behavior] has become increasingly egregious, and I am experiencing significant difficulty in feeling secure in his presence," the letter reads. "It is imperative that immediate action is taken to ensure my safety and the safety of all employees."
According to that same letter — the name of whose author, as with the subject, was withheld to protect their privacy — the alleged attacker has created "an environment of fear and intimidation."
"I remain deeply concerned about my own safety," the author wrote, "constantly wondering if I might become the next victim."
As moving as that plea is, it remains unclear when or even if a rescue mission will be deployed to SANAE IV, which is located on the top of a remote cliff and takes nearly two weeks to access. On average, the temperature stands at nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit at the base, and the winds surrounding it can shoot up to 135 miles per hour, the report notes — which makes getting there all but impossible.
In a statement to the Times, South African environment minister Dion George said that he plans to speak to the SANAE IV team personally "to assess for [himself]" what's going on.
According to George, a "verbal altercation between the team leader and this person" — the alleged attacker, seemingly — broke out, and that individual did eventually assault the team lead.
"You can imagine what it's like, it is close quarters and people do get cabin fever," he said. "It can be very disorientating."
The minister added that an initial investigation into the matter found that the person who did the assault did not have "dangerous intentions," whatever that means. Should they need help, however, George said that his counterparts in Norway and Germany have been contacted "in the event that we need to do an urgent intervention."
Be that as it may, these accusations seem incredibly serious — and the minister in charge of the SANAE IV team's safety doesn't seem to be handling it with the proper gravity.
More on research gone wrong: Scientist Who Gene-Hacked Human Babies Says Ethics Are "Holding Back" Scientific Progress
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