Six oil workers have been rescued off the Malaysian coast after their helicopter was forced to ditch at sea this morning.
The six Petronas staff, along with the two-man helicopter crew, were picked up around 150km off the Bintulu coast by a passing ship.
None of the eight involved were seriously injured, with the Sikorsky S-76 – which had been overflying potential oil and gas exploration sites – having sunk after ditching into the water.
“The incident occurred when the helicopter was about to make a controlled landing aboard a vessel carrying out seismic work,” Petronas said in a statement.
“Petronas is extending all the necessary assistance to the affected personnel. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.”
Bad weather forced the helicopter down, a spokesman for the Bintulu police told Malaysia’s national news agency Bernama.
“They were fortunate that a vessel was passing the area and all of them were rescued,” he said. “None of those on board suffered serious injuries.”
An investigation into the accident has now been launched by Malaysia’s maritime enforcement agency.
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