MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine NCO survives sledgehammer attack at Marambio Base

The attack was reportedly triggered by friction over economic differences

An Argentine military man assaulted his superior non-commissioned officer “with a blunt instrument” while he was sleeping at the Marambio Base in Antarctica.

The Joint Antarctic Command said in a statement that the victim had needed eight stitches in his face, but is out of danger after this “isolated and unprecedented event that does not represent the institutional values and principles nor the habits and customs of coexistence in Antarctica.”

Although it became known Wednesday, the attack occurred over the weekend when a non-commissioned officer entered the room where the man in charge of the Marambio Base was lying down, causing him “two cutting injuries apparently produced with a blunt instrument,” probably a sledgehammer. The victim was helped by other members of the base, which prevented the event from ending in a more serious matter. The perpetrator was arrested and ferried to the mainland to face military judiciary proceedings.

The victim is to be flown to Buenos Aires for further medical studies. “Tomorrow or the day after, there is a flight that will take me to Buenos Aires to undergo some tests. I received some blows, I was lying down and a skinny guy burst into the room, he gave me a couple of blows, I pushed him and then another group came in and took him out. We still don't know what happened,” Sergeant Major Gustavo Echenique said in an audio message to his relatives.

The Marambio Base is the only Argentine base with a runway for cargo and passenger planes. Therefore, it is the main gateway for Argentine logistics in Antarctica and also supplies other foreign bases.

The Joint Antarctic Command (Cocoantar) was created on December 29, 1969, and is made up of troops and means of the three Armed Forces. Its mission is to conduct Argentine operations permanently and continuously in Antarctica and in the area of interest, to ensure the deployment, logistic support, and development of scientific activities, in order to contribute to the fulfillment of the Annual Antarctic, Scientific, Technical, and Services Plan.

According to the newspaper El Litoral, the attack was triggered by friction over economic differences. While the members of the Air Force receive additional compensation for serving in Antarctica, the same does not occur with the Army and the Navy.

The Marambio Base and the island where it is located were named after Argentine Air Force pilot Gustavo Argentino Marambio, who in 1951 flew with the Avro Lincoln “Cruz del Sur” aircraft from Río Gallegos to the San Martín Base, carrying out an emergency refueling launch.