The platform caught fire on Friday as a gas pipeline was damaged by heavy wind. It is believed the whole platform is on fire and evacuation is hampered by the severe weather, although Oil and Gas People reports that 42 of the 63 on the platform have been rescued from lifeboats.
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The independent Oil Workers’ Rights Protection Committee told Reuters that 32 platform workers were killed in the blaze and 42 rescued. All comments are subject to editorial review.
One of the workers called a Reuters correspondent from the platform and said there were 84 people trapped. “The number of survivors was 26”, SOCAR said on Twitter.
Socar has also confirmed that workers on another oil rig, 18.6 miles from the fire-struck one, are missing after the storm.
Azerbaijan’s state run oil and gas company and operator, Suncor, announced the news, stating that “powerful storm waves had destroyed” a section of the Oil Rocks platform. A search-and-rescue operation was underway, it added. The three oil workers are still missing.
Around 60 percent of SOCAR’s oil production passes via the platform where the fire broke out, meaning the company’s output will be temporarily hit.
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The bulk of Azerbaijan’s oil is produced elsewhere, however, including on fields operated by British oil major BP.
