One Dead, 5 Injured In ENI Congo Oil Platform Fire

Source: Reuters

One person was killed in a fire on an oil platform operated by ENI Congo off the coast of the Congo Republic city of Pointe-Noire, the government said.

"The situation is under control. The incident caused one death and five people were injured," said a statement, adding that the government would investigate Thursday's incident on the Foukanda rig.

ENI said in a statement the platform was immediately evacuated and the fire was quickly extinguished by emergency teams.

"Of the 45 persons on the platform, five reported slight burns, while one person, a crane operator belonging to Afrimel, was missing at the time of the evacuation," the ENI statement said, adding that the missing person was later found dead.

Congo Republic in November lowered oil and gas royalty rates under a new petroleum code approved by parliament as part of efforts to encourage investment in new exploration.

Companies operating in the country include France's Total, Italy's ENI, London-listed Tullow and the U.S. firm Chevron.