One person has died and a search and rescue is underway for 9 others missing after a part of an oil installation collapsed in strong winds in the Caspian Sea.
The platform is operated by Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR.
The company said it was notified of the incident at about 5 a.m. Thursday morning. According to reports, a 150-meter section of a trestle bridge connecting offshore installations collapsed in winds reaching up to 91 m.p.h. Part of an accommodation unit is believed to have also collapsed.
Ten people were missing, SOCAR said, but an update from the company said one body has been recovered from the scene.
A search is underway involving the Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations and vessels belonging to the Caspian Sea Shipping Company, SOCAR said.
The accident comes just one year after 32 people died when a SOCAR platform in the Caspian caught fire and partially collapsed during high winds. The accident is Azerbaijan’s worst offshore accident to date.
