Libreville — Three bodies have been recovered following the sinking of Borr Drilling’s Prospector 5 offshore rig off southern Gabon, while two people remain missing, the country’s navy said on Wednesday.
The accident occurred on Saturday off the coastal town of Mayumba. The rig, owned and operated by Borr Drilling, was contracted to support BW Energy’s offshore drilling operations in Gabon but had not yet begun drilling.
Borr said on Monday that 110 of the 115 people aboard had been accounted for, with five initially reported missing.
Charles Hubert Bekale-Meyong, chief of staff of the Gabonese Navy, said three bodies were recovered on Wednesday during search operations, leaving two people unaccounted for.
The bodies were located with the assistance of remotely operated underwater robots, although the images collected were insufficient to identify the victims, Bekale-Meyong said in comments broadcast on national television.
“The teams remain fully committed to continuing their search for the two other people who are missing,” he said.
Sources familiar with the matter said on Sunday that an Indian national, one of the five people initially missing, had been found dead. The remaining four were reported to include three Gabonese nationals and another expatriate.
The latest recovery brings the number of bodies found to three, although authorities have not confirmed the identities of all the victims.
The search for the two remaining missing people continues as authorities work to establish the circumstances surrounding the sinking.
Source: Reuters
Reporting: Gerauds Wilfried Obangome
Writing: Anait Miridzhanian
Editing: Robbie Corey-Boulet & Ros Russell
