Seagoing oil rig topples, worker killed

A man has died following the capsizing of an oil rig near the Port of Big Creek. Thirty year old Allen Bonnell of Independence was one of nine men aboard the jack-up rig which was in the process of being towed into the port Monday night. Details are still sketchy, but it appears that about nine o’clock, while being towed by the tugboat Miss Gayle, something caused the platform to turn on its side. Bonnell’s co-workers all managed to swim to safety but he could not be found until this morning when his body was recovered from nearby waters. It is not believed that wind or waves were responsible for the tragedy as the rig had previously been towed through rough seas and by the time of the accident had already reached the relative shelter of the Big Creek channel. The pads of the rig extend around fourteen feet below the surface and it is possible that one of those legs could have snagged on the sea bottom causing it to tip over. The rig, operated by Island Oil Company, was fabricated in Shipyard in the Orange Walk District from designs done by marine architects in the United States. The rig had performed well, having drilled a dry hole five miles east of Monkey River and six weeks ago was moved to a new site off East Snake Caye. When that seabed proved unsuitable for oil exploration a decision was taken to move the rig back to Big Creek for the duration of the hurricane season, with work to restart in November. Personnel from the police and Port Authority were on site today investigating the incident.