  At least 32 die in fire on Caspian Sea oil platform in Azerbaijan: source December 5, 2015 - 15:27 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Thirty-two workers have been killed and 42 rescued from an offshore oil platform that caught fire in Azerbaijan-controlled waters in the Caspian Sea, the head of an independent committee said on Saturday, December 5, Reuters reports. Azeri state energy company SOCAR declined to comment. "According to our information, 32 workers died, while 42 workers were rescued last night. ... The fire on the platform was finally extinguished," Mirvari Gakhramanly, head of Azerbaijan's Oil Workers' Rights Protection Committee, told Reuters. SOCAR said on Friday that the fire had started after a gas pipeline on the platform was damaged in heavy wind. It said rescue attempts were being complicated by a severe storm. One worker called a Reuters correspondent from the platform and said there were 84 people trapped there. The worker did not want to be named. SOCAR also said on Friday that workers were missing after an accident at another offshore oil platform during the storm. A search and rescue operation was under way, it added. Fourteen workers were killed in accidents on SOCAR's oil and gas platforms in 2014.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia.Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements.Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of ArmeniaHenrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |
