Workers evacuated after fire breaks out on oil rig

Thirty-three people were evacuated from a drilling rig in the Norwegian Sea on Tuesday after a fire broke out in the engine room, oil and gas company Statoil said.

The fire was reported at 4.30pm (Irish time) on board the Scarabeo 5 rig in the Njord oil field.

Statoil said 33 of the 106 people on board were airlifted by helicopter to a nearby platform or the mainland. There were no injuries reported.

The company later said the remaining 73 people were remaining on board as the fire was brought under control, with no visible flames or smoke.

Statoil said no drilling operations were under way when the fire broke out on the Scarabeo 5, which is operated by Saipem.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.