Hopes Fade for Missing in Russia Rig Accident, 7 Bodies Pulled Out
Hope was running out Monday for scores of oil workers missing for more than a day in remote, freezing waters off Russia's east coast after their floating platform capsized and sank during a severe storm.
Maria Dubrovskya, spokeswoman for the Emergencies Ministry in Russia's Far East, said rescue workers have pulled out seven bodies from the Sea of Okhotsk. Russian news agencies are reporting that more bodies have been seen in the water, but the rescue team has not been able to retrieve them.
Fourteen people were plucked alive from the icy waters immediately after the accident and taken to a hospital.
Forty-six men are still listed as missing but chances of their survival are negligible as the water temperature in the area is 1 degree Celsius (33.8 Fahrenheit).
The Emergencies Ministry said there are four vessels, one helicopter and one airplane in the area searching for the missing men. Helicopter shots from the area on the NTV television channel showed nothing floating on the partly ice-bound sea.
Russia produces most of its oil onshore and it hasn't seen any significant oil platform accidents in the past years.
The floating oil rig capsized Sunday morning as it was being towed about 200 kilometers (120 miles) off the coast of Sakhalin Island amid a fierce storm. It started sinking after a strong wave broke some of its equipment and the portholes in the crew's dining room.
The Kolskaya platform — 70 meters (226 feet) long and 80 meters (262 feet) wide — was built in Finland in 1985, and is owned by Russian offshore exploration firm Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka. It has recently done some work for Russian energy giant Gazprom. It was on its way to a port in the Far East when it capsized.
There has been no report of environmental damage, but any is likely to be negligible because the rig only carried a small amount of fuel.
Source: Associated Press
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