Saudi Gazette report

DHAHRAN — A survivor of the fatal Safaniya offshore platform collapse has described how he faced a desperate climb up to the side of the platform that was above water to stay alive.



Hashim Al-Shorafa'a told Alsharq daily that he and his co-workers were surprised when one of the Saudi Aramco platform’s supports broke, flooding the installation with water within seconds.



The incident occurred without warning and he and his colleagues found themselves fighting for their lives.



He could see that one side of the platform was above water and so he tried to climb up to safety.



He fell on his face and sustained injuries but he continued his climb. He was finally able to cling onto a pipe and looked around him to see other workers also clinging to pipes and other parts of the platform.



He was exhausted when a rescue boat arrived to transport the survivors to another nearby platform.



A helicopter was waiting for survivors at the platform and he was transported to a Dhahran hospital for treatment.



Hashim, who is married and has a two-week old baby girl, joined Aramco as a trainee in 2006 and was officially employed in 2009.



Meanwhile, Aramco issued a statement stating that the incident resulted in three employees drowning while 11 others were injured.



Aramco divers recovered the bodies of the three victims — two Indians and a Bangladeshi.



The report indicated that company helicopters, boats and divers rushed to the site to assist in rescue efforts.



The company has extended its condolences to families of the victims and begun an investigation into the incident.



Aramco has a $10 million contract with Arabian Marine Company for the repair and maintenance of the platform.



Eastern Province Border Guards spokesman Col. Khalid Al-Arqubi said the Border Guards would not participate in investigations because the accident was work related.



He said certain procedures would be completed before repatriating the bodies to their countries.