A group of scientists who worked at a remote Antarctic research station for months were shocked after a team member was accused of assault.
About 10 researchers usually stay at a base operated by South Africa, which is about 170 kilometers (about 105 miles) from the edge of the ice shelf and is difficult to reach.
But a South African government spokesman told the BBC that an attack occurred at the station had previously filed misconduct inside the camp.
The South African Ministry of Environment said in further information seen by the BBC that it is responding to the question with “the greatest urgency.”
South Africa’s Sunday Times reported the story for the first time, and members of the team have admitted to being rescued.
The ministry also said that people on the team were subjected to “many assessments including background checks, reference examinations, medical assessments, and psychometric assessments for qualified professionals”, and all members were cleared.
The SANAE IV research base is more than 4,000 kilometers from the South African continent, and the harsh weather conditions mean scientists can cut off for most of the year.
The current team is expected to be based on SANAE IV until December.
Research expeditions in South Africa have been underway since 1959. The teams arriving at the Sanae IV base usually include a doctor, two mechanics, three engineers, a weather technician and several doctors.
The weather in these expeditions stipulates the time spent in large quantities of indoor spaces, usually without any incidents, and team members must perform a series of psychological assessments before traveling.
But on Sunday, South Africa’s Sunday Times reported that a member of the team warned colleagues and “deeply disturbing behavior” of “a fear of the environment.”
A South African government spokesman told the BBC that the alleged attack was “a controversy targeting the task that team leaders want the team to do – a task that requires changing the timeline to change the weather relationship”.
Antarctic events are rare, but not unprecedented. In 2018, there were reports that the Russian-run research station Bellinshausen was stabbed.
Psychologists point out the impact of isolation on human behavior.
“One thing we know from these rare cases is that when something bad happens in mandatory isolation or capsule work, it’s often small things, and small things can get caught in conflict,” said Craig Jackson, professor of workplace health psychology at the University of Birmingham.
“So, small issues with regard to hierarchy, workload allocation, about leisure time or food or food parts can also explode quickly and become bigger than usual,” he told the BBC.
Scientist and author Gabrielle Walker, who has been exploring Antarctica, said it is risky to get very close to work with a small group of colleagues.
“You know exactly how they put the coffee cups down and the direction the handle points; you know they sit down with their nose three times before they go down; you know everything about them.
“In bad situations, it may start to anger you… because there is nothing else – there is no other stimulation, and you are 24/7 people,” she said.
Sources from the Antarctic research community told the BBC that South Africa could use ships and aircraft with ice if needed.
However, any rescue operation must compete with the harsh climate, with temperatures well below freezing points and the possibility of strong winds.
Other reports by Ed Habershon and Miho Tanaka
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