CNN
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Officials said that a member of a small South African research group on a remote Antarctic base accused a colleague of attack and asked to intervene.
“The response plan to attract the people involved” was “immediately activated,” officials from the Forestry Department of South Africa, fishing and the environment (DFFE), who control the base, said in the statement, but added that they have no plans to return any team home.
In a statement sent to CNN, in response to accusations made in an electronic letter from a research group, DFFE said: “The alleged criminal willingly participated in a further psychological assessment, showed remorse and willingly cooperates to follow any recommended interventions.”
DFFE said he received complaints about the alleged attack involving two members of the Extraordinary team from nine on February 27, and later investigated the charges of sexual harassment. The department did not mention the names of those who participate.
The intervention was discovered after the Sunday Times in South Africa described in a message described in detail the email from the team in which he accused the person of attacking his leader and adapted to help.
“His behavior has increased to such an extent that it is deeply alarming,” the author wrote in an email, according to Sunday Times, adding: “I am still deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly asking the question of whether I will become the next victim.”
Names were not disclosed newspaper. CNN did not independently confirm the content of the reported email.
South Africa is the only African country that runs the research station in Antarctica, the coldest continent in the world, where in 1960 it established a scientific base. In her Antarctic station, known as Sanae IV, there is usually a team of scientists for 13 months, DFFE said, adding that the current group was sent on February 1.
“The department confirms that there were no incidents who demanded that any of the nine team members be returned to Cape Town,” the statement of accusations of attack said. “If such incidents occurred, the department’s management team would replace such a census -member of the team with immediate entry into force.”
This is not the first case of an attack with the participation of the South African expedition team. In 2017, on the research base on the remote island of Marion, it was reported, a member of the research team “Raised a laptop of another colleague with an ax from a love triangle in which they participated”. in accordance with South African parliamentary monitoring group.
DPPE explained that members of its research missions are evaluated on the eve of the expeditions, “to make sure that they can cope with isolation and can work and live with others in a limited space of bases.”
Nevertheless, he added: “It is often that after people arrive in extremely distant areas where scientific bases are located, the initial adjustment of the environment is required.”
