Oil rig fire kills Indian, French in Nigeria
An Indian was among two workers who were killed in a major fire that consumed the visible part of Chevron Corp company-owned oil rig off Nigeria's coast.
An official from FODE Drilling Ltd, the company that handled the operation of the rig for Chevron, said an Indian national and a French national had not been found even after three days of intensive search.
"After three days of intensive search and rescue activities for our missing colleagues, I am saddened to report that our efforts have proven unsuccessful and, therefore, we have made the difficult decision to transition to a recovery operation," said Andrew Fawthrop, managing director, Chevron's Nigeria/Mid-Africa Strategic Business Unit.
"On behalf of Chevron, we extend our sincere condolences to the families of the missing individuals," Fawthrop said. The official said they were able to rescue 152 others from the inferno.
The company said the fire entered its ninth day on Tuesday and has consumed some noticeable parts of the rig. When contacted by the media for the identity of the missing workers, an official said the public affairs section has closed for the day.
According to Chevron official, the fire started last week aboard the shallow-water jack-up drilling rig KS Endeavor which was operated by FODE for drilling a natural gas exploration well approximately 10 kms off the coast of Nigeria and in roughly 40 feet of water.
The company said the cause of the incident remains under investigation and efforts are under way to seal the well, which will extinguish the fire just as it cannot estimated how long the fire will continue.
Chevron, alongside other oil companies, engage in oil drilling within the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
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