A second person died from their injuries in hospital following a fire at a Chevron-operated oil platform offshore Angola, bringing the number of fatalities to three, government and company officials said late on Tuesday.
Two workers were initially transferred to specialist units at hospitals in South Africa, while the body of a third worker is yet to be retrieved from the ocean and identified, officials added.
Seventeen people were injured, four seriously, when the fire started at the deep-water Benguela Belize Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) platform in the early morning hours of May 20.
A government source told Reuters the accident occurred in the same week that the U.S. oil major was set to resume operations following a scheduled annual maintenance shutdown at BBLT, which produced its first oil in 2006.
Chevron's Angolan business, Cabinda Gulf Oil Company, did not confirm the expected return-to-service date, saying it did not comment on operational matters as investigations into the cause of the fire continue.
(Reuters)
