European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse The vol. 47, no. 81 Friday july 8, 1988 doily Ond sunday 1 f 8693 a authorized unofficial publication for the . Armed forces 166 feared dead As blasts fire wreck North sea Oil Rig Piper Alpha Oil platform 229 men aboard raging inferno1 after explosion. Loss Lemoult ships and helicopter search for Inverness Aberdeen 73 survivors picked up and taken to Aberdeen. It was a Case of Fry and die or jump and Fry said Ron Carey who managed to leap off the Piper Alpha. Aberdeen Scotland a an Armada of Rescue ships and helicopters scoured the Chilly North sea thursday for 150 people missing after a fire engulfed an Oil platform in possibly the worst Oil Rig disaster Ever. Flames continued to leap into the air above the wreck of twisted Metal. Two explosions triggered wednesday night inferno on the Piper Alpha Rig 120 Miles off the scottish said there was Little Hope of finding any More survivors. Energy Secretary Cecil Parkinson told parliament that 229 people had been on the Oil platform. He said 65 survived and16 bodies were found leaving 148 miss ing. In addition two of three rescuer who disappeared still were missing. Police said most workers on the Rig were scottish but press association the Domestic news Agency said workers fro the United states Canada Continental Europe and South Africa were Rig is owned by Occidental Petro Leum corp. Officials at the company s los Angeles Headquarters had no imme Diate information on How Many Ameri cans were aboard the Rig or on the Caus of the explosion said spokesman Peter Sinclair. Armand Hammer Occidental s chair Man and chief executive officer said in a statement i wish to extend my deepest personal sympathy to the families of the men who have been injured or who have lost their lives in this tragic Accident in the North sea. We will continue to do everything we can to assist the injured and their if those missing Are confirmed dead the Accident will be the world s worst Oil Rig disaster. The guinness Book of world records lists the worst As the capsizing of the Al expander l. Kielland platform in norwegian Waters in March 1980, when 123 people died. It was a Case of Fry and die or jump and try said Ron Carey 45, who Man aged to leap off the Piper Alpha into the continued on Back Page Byrch cos for a new took of . Policy in Gulf Washington a . Ships in the persian Gulf Are in an untenable position and president Reagan s policy in the Region needs to be reassessed following the Navy s Downing of an iranian Airliner with 290 people on Board Senate democratic Leader Robert Byrd said thursday. Byrd and other members of Congress attending series of closed door Pentagon briefings appear con Vinced that the Captain of the guided missile Cruiser Vincennes acted responsibly in launching the missile that destroyed an iranian Airliner with 290 people on Board. Related stories pages 5 and 9. In a Senate floor speech Byrd said he is not advocating a . Withdrawal from the Gulf where Ameri can ships have operated for 40 years. He added it s one thing to maintain our presence there. Butt s another thing to go Day to Day in a volatile Environ ment they Are placed in an untenable he said he had asked defense Secretary Frank on wednesday to give us a new assess ment of threats to the Navy in the shallow crowded Gulf. He said the new review is needed so we won t be going from Day to Day with the likelihood of this occurring Cia director William Webster meanwhile said after a closed meeting with the House foreign of see policy on Back Page
