29 missing Azeri oil workers feared dead, SOCAR says December 7, 2015 - 10:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Azeri state energy company SOCAR said that 29 workers missing after its oil platform in the Caspian Sea caught fire on Friday, December 4, were feared dead, and President Ilham Aliyev declared a day of national mourning, Reuters reports. SOCAR said on Sunday that one worker had been killed and 33 rescued, out of the 62 who were on the oil rig when the fire started. "We continue the search-and-rescue operation ... We regard those whom we have not found so far as missing," Khoshbakht Usifzade, SOCAR first vice-president, told a news conference. Usifzade added that rescuers were also searching for three more workers who had been swept into the sea in an accident on another oil platform on Friday. SOCAR's other vice-president said that the search operation would be continue through the night. "Despite all the efforts, regrettably, no one has been found," Khalig Mamedov told a news conference. Mamedov said that rescuers had found several life vests and fragments of a boat, adding that one gas well was still on fire. The fire started on Friday after the storm caused the partial collapse of one of the facilities on the platform, damaging a natural gas pipeline. Daily production was 920 tonnes of oil and 1.08 million cubic meters of gas. About 60 percent of SOCAR's oil production passes through this platform, meaning the state company's output will be temporarily hit.  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 Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia  Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28.Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia.Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports.Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |
