Piper Alpha Disaster North Sea
July 6, 1988
The Piper Alpha was a North Sea oil production platform. On July 6, 1988, a leakage of natural gas condensate, which had built up beneath the platform, ignited, causing a massive explosion. The explosion ignited secondary oil fires, melting the riser of an upstream gas pipeline. The released gas caused a second, larger explosion which engulfed the entire platform. Only 62 crewmembers out of 229 on board that day survived; 167 died. |