Tragedy struck off the coast of Gabon as a fire engulfed an oil platform, claiming the lives of at least four individuals, with one more still unaccounted for, according to statements from the oil ministry on Thursday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon aboard the Becuna platform, owned by the Franco-British energy firm Perenco, situated near the Tchatamba oil terminal along Gabon’s southeast coast.
Expressing condolences, the Ministry of Oil and Gas lamented the loss of lives and the ongoing search for the missing individual. Out of the twelve individuals present during the accident, seven were successfully evacuated.
The ministry reported two injuries from the blaze, one of which is severe burns.
Perenco, in an early Thursday statement, confirmed that the fire had been brought under control, with uninjured personnel relocated to safety. Initially, five individuals were reported missing by the company.
Gabonese Oil Minister Marcel Abeke described the incident as the gravest in the nation’s oil history, pledging a thorough investigation to uncover the causes and implications of the tragedy.
