Monday, March 17, 2025

"Scientists Trapped in Antarctica Plead For Help as Violence Breaks Out"

All I wanted was a story about penguins when I find a damn movie script writing itself.

From Newsweek, March 17:

A group of South African scientists has pleaded for help, saying they are trapped in an isolated base on a cliff edge in Antarctica with a team member who has become violent.

One of the team has been accused of assault and threatening violence against his colleagues, according to the South African newspaper The Sunday Times.

Why It Matters
The overwintering team, a group that remains in a remote and extreme environment during winter months, knew that 10 of their 15 months at the base would be spent in isolation but may now be in danger from one of their own members, who has been accused of being mentally unstable.

Members will have undergone psychometric tests to ensure they could withstand the stress of this isolation but the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), which manages the South African National Antarctic Programme, now plans to re-test them.

What To Know
South Africa's isolated Sanae IV Antarctic base is cut off from the world for the next 10 months because of the winter weather.

A member of the overwintering team has reportedly sent an email to the South African government accusing another team member of physical and sexual assault.

"His behavior has become increasingly egregious, and I am experiencing significant difficulty in feeling secure in his presence," the email said, according to The Sunday Times, "it is imperative that immediate action is taken to ensure my safety and the safety of all employees."....

....MUCH MORE