A fire in Africa that led to the death of a former Aberdeen oil and gas worker has finally been brought under control, more than three months after the gas well explosion that caused it.
Henry Gunning sustained burns to around half his body, including third degree burns to his hands, arms and chest, while trying to control the blowout in Ngadiaga, Senegal on December 19 2020.
The 71-year-old, a Canadian citizen, was treated in hospital in Dakar but passed away a week later.
According to Africa Fortesa Corporation, Mr Gunning’s employer, he died from lung complications that arose while waiting for medivac, which was delayed.
A local ‘gendarme’ was also killed during efforts to put out the fire in the Thies region of the West African country. Sacoura Gaye drowned while guarding the water retention pool, which had been dug to aid the firefighters.
Fortesa’s executive chairman and CEO, Rogers Beall, has now confirmed the company regained control of the Sa-2 well, which has been jointly operated with Petrosen, Senegal’s national oil company, since 2000, on March 25.
He added: “As you appreciate, the explosion and fire did not kill Henry Gunning. Henry died from lung complications that arose a week later, in-hospital when medivac was delayed by international Covid travel restrictions and Christmas holiday shutdown at the agreed receiving international hospital facility in North Africa.”
Petrosen was also contacted for comment.
Henry Gunning
Henry Gunning spent more than half of his 50 years working in oil and gas in Aberdeen, where he was employed by KCA Deutag.
Arriving during the early stages of the North Sea oil boom, he ended his 30 year career in the Granite City as international operations manager for KCA Drilling.
During his time in the north-east he lived in the coastal towns of Stonehaven and Cammachmore.
Mr Gunning first arrived in the UK to drill exploration wells at the Wytch Farm oil field, one of the largest onshore oil fields in Western Europe, in Dorset in 1973. Prior to that he had worked Alberta and Algeria.
A Coroner’s inquiry into his death is currently ongoing, his family has said.