Scientists trapped on Antarctica for 10 more months plead for help after fellow expert ‘sexually assaulted and threatened to kill colleagues’ at their tiny base

A group of scientists trapped in a tiny base in Antarctica have sent an email pleading to be rescued after they say a member of their team threatened to kill another colleague.

A South African research group dispatched to Sanae IV base, a research station in Antarctica, are isolated on their mission for at least 10 more months.

Extreme weather makes leaving and entering nearly impossible and there are thousands of miles between the team and their home continent.

This leaves the group with only each other for company in the absence of animals, other humans and society as they know it.

Last week, one of the isolated researchers sent a worrying email in which they claimed one of their number had attacked them and was issuing further threats.

The group were living in fear of the man who posed a threat to the entire team, the researcher wrote.

The team member was also accused of sexually assaulting one of his colleagues.

The author of the email, which was shared with South Africa’s Sunday Times, wrote: ‘Regrettably, his behaviour has escalated to a point that is deeply disturbing.

‘Specifically, he physically assaulted [X], which is a grave violation of personal safety and workplace norms.

‘Furthermore, he threatened to kill [X], creating an environment of fear and intimidation.

‘I remain deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly wondering if I might become the next victim.’

The author expressed immense concern over the colleague’s ‘increasingly egregious behaviour’ and called for immediate action to ensure their own safety and that of the team as a whole.

‘I am experiencing significant difficulty in feeling secure in his presence,’ the email continued.

Neither the author nor the accused have been named.

South Africa’s environment minister Dion George said he would speak personally with the team to assess the situation.

‘There was a verbal altercation between the team leader and this person. Then it escalated and then that person did physically assault the leader.

‘You can imagine what it’s like. It is close quarters and people do get cabin fever. It can be very disorientating.’

Living in harsh conditions among a remote landscape and staggering temperatures of minus 23 degrees, the team rarely, if ever, leaves the base for their own safety.

Mr George said that researchers are required to undergo rigorous psychological evaluation to determine their suitability for the mentally demanding environment.

Alan Chambers, an explorer who completed a 700-mile skiing expedition in the region last year, said that from a ‘psychological perspective’ the South Pole is a ‘very very lonely place’.

‘There’s very little interaction with humans or animals so if you’re in a camp or a research centre you’re with those people for six months, if not a year,’ he told The Times.

‘Everything becomes heightened. It’s all white – there’s no colour, no noise and nothing you would see as normal so everybody’s behaviour – including your own – gets magnified and the little things become the big things.’ 

Mr Chamber warned the ‘loneliness of the continent’ majorly impacts behaviour and said that those who are stationed in Antarctica ‘really have to be happy with yourself’.

He claims that due to the fact that one spend ‘lot of time inside your mind’, small issues with others can escalate into larger problems.