One dead and 16 still missing after helicopter crashes in Atlantic

By Calvin Palmer

Sixteen people are missing after a helicopter ferrying workers to an oil platform crashed off the coast of Newfoundland this morning.

Of the 18 aboard, one was rescued and one body was recovered.

Two life rafts were spotted in the water amid the helicopter debris, but rescuers later confirmed they were empty.

The survival window is about 24 hours — but only if the people were wearing the required survival suits with water-activated locator beacons, said Major Denis McGuire of the Rescue Coordination Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

McGuire said searchers had picked up signals from the suits, but there was still no sign of the missing.

The condition of survivor Robert Decker, who was flown to a St. John’s hospital, was listed as critical but stable.

The S-92 Sikorsky helicopter went down about 47 nautical miles southeast of St John’s, said Jeri Grychowski of the Rescue Co-ordination Center.

The helicopter was ferrying workers to the Hibernia offshore oil platform when it ditched into the ocean, amid strong winds, at around 9:18 a.m. local time.

Two rescue helicopters and a coast guard vessel were dispatched. A Hercules military aircraft and a merchant ship quickly arrived at the scene.

Grychowski said water temperatures were just above freezing, with waves of up to nine feet.

The lone survivor was picked up by a civilian helicopter owned by Cougar Helicopters of St John’s, the same company as the one that crashed.

The Hibernia platform is jointly owned by Petro-Canada, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Murphy Oil, StatoilHydro and the government of Canada.

[Based on reports by the Associated Press, Reuters  and AFP news agency.]

Crew and passengers rescued after helicopter ditches in North Sea

By Calvin Palmer

All 18 people aboard a helicopter that ditched into the North Sea this evening have been resuced from two life rafts, according to coastguards.

The Super Puma helicopter came down near an oil platform in the ETAP field, 125 miles east of Aberdeen, Scotland.

Three of the people aboard were rescued by a Bond company helicopter, the other 15 by a platform lifeboat.

Coast guard spokesman Fred Caygill said the passengers and crew managed to make it out of the helicopter on to two inflatable life rafts.

“We’re very pleased that all 18 have been rescued,” Caygill said, adding that there were no serious injuries.

A Sea King helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth and a Nimrod jet from RAF Kinloss were scrambled.

James Lyne of RAF Kinloss said all those on board would have been wearing immersion suits that would have protected them from the cold of the sea for some time.

NHS Grampian said A&E staff at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were now on full alert and they were expecting 18 patients.

[Based on reports by BBC News and newsday.com.]