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At least 10 killed in Indian oil blaze

More than 350 workers rescued

AFP, Mumbai
Rescuers battling towering seas through the night rescued 351 workers from a blazing Indian offshore oil platform but at least 10 people died and a search was under way for several still missing, a minister said Thursday.
Oil Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar told parliament that 384 personnel had to abandon the platform when it caught fire Wednesday afternoon, of whom 351 had been rescued.
"So far, 10 personnel are confirmed dead," Aiyar said.
It was unclear Thursday how many people were still missing, with various officials giving conflicting figures ranging from six to 34.
Some workers jumped into the Arabian Sea and clambered on to lifeboats while others scrambled to
safety via a bridge to another rig, coast guard officials said.
The giant platform belonging to the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) some 160 kilometres (100 miles) west of Mumbai, produces about 100,000 barrels of crude a day. It collapsed into the ocean soon after erupting in flame.
Authorities launched a massive rescue operation, sending eight naval and coast guard ships, two aircraft and four helicopters from the air force and navy.
"The injured were provided first aid by doctors and paramedics immediately on rescue," Aiyar said.
Vice Admiral Madanjit Singh, commander-in-chief of Western Naval Command, said earlier Thursday that rescue operations were continuing in treacherous conditions.
"It is a difficult scenario due to uncertain rains," he said.
Singh said there was no confirmation yet of how the blaze began. "It might have been caused due to a survey ship hitting the leg of the structure of the platform," he said.
A ship carrying 129 people rescued from the fire reached Mumbia's Victoria Docks on Thursday afternoon. They were greeted with jubilation by loved ones.
"We tried to rescue whoever we could ... there was no light at night, we had to use flashlights to find people," said one rescuer in a television interview, as rescued workers hugged family members and called friends and relatives on mobile phones. Of the 10 dead, six were ONGC employees and two were contract workers, an ONGC official said.