A fire on an offshore oil platform in Azerbaijan waters in the Caspian Sea has claimed the lives of 32 workers, reports itv.com (http://bit.ly/1HMOmlq)
The platform operated by state energy company SOCAR in the Guneshli field caught fire after a gas pipeline on the platform was damaged in heavy wind. Rescue attempts were further complicated by a severe storm, SOCAR said.
The independent Oil Workers’ Rights Protection Committee in Azerbaijan told reporters the death toll, according to information they had received.
In a telephone call from the oil platform, a worker told Reuters news agency that 84 workers were trapped.
SOCAR said 26 workers survived in a Facebook post on Saturday but gave no further details on the number of fatalities or how many had been on the platform when it caught fire on Friday evening.
