Bombay High fire: Over 355 rescued
Published: July 28, 2005
In one of the most successful rescue attempts ever in India, more than 355 people have been rescued, after a fire broke out on the ONGC oil platform at Bombay High.
The platform is located at 160 kilometres off the Mumbai coast.
Most of the rescued workers were on life rafts or had jumped into the sea after the fire.
Ten people are now confirmed dead, out of which eight have been identified.
Thirteen people are missing even now, and six others are still trapped in the platform.
However, the first group of survivors arrived at the Mumbai Port Trust this morning. For them, the night in the sea was more than just a nightmare.
“We jumped over to the small boat and then were rescued by the large boat,” said one of the survivors.
The Coast Guard, which led the rescue effort, has emerged as the true heroes, since bad weather and the extent of fire, made it almost impossible to continue with the rescue work.
Rescue operations
The fire is now brought under control and evacuation and rescue operations are on.
ONGC Chairman Subir Raha is overseeing rescue operations, and INS Vinash with full medical team has also been despatched to Bombay High.
He also said that the flow of oil and gas from the fire-affected wells at Bombay High has stopped, shutting down production.
The shutdown, he has clarified, has had an impact on crude production, which is down by 110,000 barrels a day, more than a third of the country’s output.
The platform, which is completely destroyed in the accident, will take 3-4 months to repair, and will cost Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 crore.
Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has announced a three-member enquiry committee set up under S K Manglik, a former ONGC chairman.
The Royal Dutch Shell company will also assist the enquiry committee.
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