Bell 212 Crashed On Takeoff At Night

A Bell 212 helicopter carrying foreign contractors crashed on takeoff from an offshore oil platform off the coast of Dubai Thursday, claiming all seven people onboard.

The International Herald Tribune reports the helo (type shown at right) impacted the main deck of the rig at 8:23 pm local time, sparking a fire on the platform that halted production indefinitely on the Rashid oil field, one of four located off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.

The helicopter was owned by Aerogulf Services, which operates a fleet of nine helicopters used to transport workers to offshore rigs throughout the Persian Gulf... and is reportedly the only operator in the region that conducts flights to rigs at night.

Little is known of the circumstances surrounding the crash, including weather conditions at the time of the accident.

Five workers and two pilot were among the victims, including one American and citizens from the United Kingdom, Pakistan, the Philippines, Venezuela, and India. The workers were being transported off the recently-installed Maersk Resilient platform, owned by A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S and operated by Petrofac Ltd. on behalf of Dubai Petroleum Co.

"We are still in the process of identifying the deceased and notifying the next of kin," said Olly Scott, a spokesman for Petrofac.

FMI: www.aerogulfservices.com, www.petrofac.com/