Many missing as Russia oil rig capsizes off Sakhalin

FE Team | Published: December 19, 2011 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

An oil drilling rig has capsized in freezing seas in the Russian far east, with the loss of two lives and more than 50 people missing, officials say, reports BBC. Some 67 people were reported to be on board the Kolskaya rig as it was being towed off the island of Sakhalin when they ran into a storm. Fourteen people have been rescued, regional emergency ministry officials were quoted by Russian media as saying. Rescue efforts have been hampered by poor weather conditions. The accident happened at around 14:00 local time (0200 GMT) amid high winds, waves up to 12ft (4m) and temperatures of -17C in the Sea of Okhotsk, some 200km (125 miles) off the coast of Sakhalin. A regional emergency ministry spokesman told the AFP news agency that the portholes of the rig had been "damaged by ice and waves, and water began going into the vessel". He said the crew had been waiting to be evacuated by helicopter but the platform capsized and sank before they could get to their rescue rafts. Two out of the four life rafts were reportedly found with nobody on board. The spokesman confirmed to AFP that 14 people had been rescued but were in a serious condition, and two bodies "without signs of life" had been spotted by rescue workers who are "trying to pull them out". The rig, operated by Russian exploration firm Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka, was being towed from the eastern peninsula of Kamchatka to Sakhalin, Russian media reports. As the rig was not involved in any drilling work at the time, there is no danger of any oil spill, Russian officials said.