Mumbai, July 28
The death toll in yesterday’s mishap off Bombay High at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s drilling site has risen to 12, according to Coast Guard (CG) officials. Another 16 persons are said to be missing.
All of them were employed at the BHN off-shore drilling platform owned by the Shipping Corporation
of India and managed by the ONGC. The mishap happened when a vessel owned by the SCI, buoyed by choppy seas, crashed onto the oil rig setting off a fire. As the installation erupted into flames, most of the 384 employees on the rig jumped into the sea.
Rescuers were trying to reach the six divers trapped in the debris of the crashed platform, CG officials said. So far, 367 persons have been rescued after Naval ships and Coast Guard vessels commenced rescue operations.
ONGC officials say, the casualties were kept low as its support vessels based nearby plunged into action and began picking up those who jumped into the sea. Naval helicopters were also pressed into action and several survivors and some bodies were picked up.
Helicopters from the Navy, Coast Guard and civilian vessels were still scouting the areas for survivors, the officials said.
Officials say rescue efforts were hit by Tuesday’s floods. Choppers belonging to Pawan Hans and private operators that were parked at the Juhu helibase were water-logged. However, choppers from other locations were pressed in though the helibase was rendered only partially useable.
ONGC officials said the platform which sunk produced 100,000 barrels out of the total 260,000 barrels per day production of Bombay High. ONGC engineers usually lived on the platform for days at a stretch before being brought ashore. In all the platform fixed to the seabed 80 metres below the surface connected to 15 oil wells.
The ONGC oil drilling platform has been completely destroyed, and is expected to take nearly four months to repair, at a cost of Rs 10,000-15,000 crore. The damaged platform is insured for $ 195 million.
