The first phase of the rescue work at the Gunashli offshore field has come to an end. One of the wells was closed yesterday. Efforts are underway to extinguish the fires around the other wells, Azerbaijan’s Minister of Emergency Situations Colonel General Kemaleddin Heydarov said on Wednesday.

He said the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the State Border Service had sent planes, helicopters, and ships to the site to search for the missing oil workers, noting that during days of the adverse weather conditions the rescue efforts continued with the involvement of different equipment.

“Dead bodies of six oil workers have been recovered so far. We are now applying some other search methods. By using bathyscaphes, we are checking the bottoms of the wells and piers. It is impossible to work at the bottom of the fire-affected platform because efforts to cool it are still in progress; no equipment can go down there,” he stressed.

The minister also added that the ongoing work is under the supervision of President Ilham Aliyev.

“The president is being informed daily. This natural disaster which occurred as a result of man-made accident showed that we should be even more careful in the future,” he said.

According to the minister, such accidents have previously occurred in the Caspian Sea. “Gas explosion took place in “Bulla” field. Fishermen went missing, other technical accidents occurred,” he said.

All equipment of the ministry was involved in the search for the oil workers missing after the recent offshore platform accident. “The accident occurred as a result of 140 km/h wind speed and 10-meter waves. The weather slowly improved the day after the accident and we managed to recovery the bodies of some oilmen,” Heydarov said.

Heydarov noted that since its establishment, the ministry has purchased a sufficient number of devices and equipment for both search and rescue operation.

“We don’t need any external technical aid. On that day, ministers and heads of various organizations of some countries including Russia offered us assistance. However, whatever equipment they offered we already had. What hindered the rescue efforts were the massive fire and the adverse weather conditions that lasted for days. According to oilmen, the last such accident took place in 1957,” added the minister.

The minister mentioned that the strong wind led to another accident in Oil Rocks on Dec.4. “As a result of the accident, three oil workers went missing. Search for them is also underway.”

Heydarov said that the search and rescue work is of specific character.

“We regularly inform people about the progress of the work. Unfortunately, some people take advantage of the situation for other purposes. I am sure that someday those people will understand what natural disaster is, and how and under what conditions the rescue operations are carried out in such cases. There are dangerous moments for the rescuers as well. Taking into consideration the rescue operation upon the recent accident, you can see that the selfless rescuers risked their lives and saved the workers’ lives”, he noted.

The minister wished patience for the families of the missing oil workers.

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