Saudi oil rig sinks in Persian Gulf, 2 Indians among dead

Dubai: The bodies of two Indians and a Bangladeshi, reported missing when an offshore oil rig of Saudi Arabia`s state-run petroleum giant Aramco sank in the Persian Gulf, have been found, officials said on Saturday.

Aramco said in a statement that the bodies of the three workers, missing following yesterday`s accident in the waters off the coast of al-Safaniya region, have been recovered. The bodies were handed to authorities, the statement said. The company`s management expressed its deep regret and condolences to the families of those who died in the incident, state-run SPA news agency reported. The remaining 24 crew of the oil rig suffered "limited injuries" but were rescued, Aramco said earlier. The platform was carrying out maintenance work at an oil well in al-Safaniya in Eastern Province, 265 km north of the city of Dhahran, when the accident took place. The region is the site of the world`s largest offshore oil field. Aramco said a thorough investigation had been launched into the accident, which had not affected its operations. Saudi Arabia is the world`s top oil producer. Discovered in 1951, al-Safaniya oil field has a capacity of more than 1.2 million barrels per day.