Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an Order with the aim of speeding up search and rescue efforts in the Caspian Sea where 10 oilfield workers went missing yesterday after part of an oil platform collapsed caused by high winds.

Under the Order, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, State Oil Company and Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company are instructed to speed up search and rescue efforts. The Cabinet of Ministers is instructed to provide financial and other necessary assistance for the families of those who died in the incident. The State Oil Company is instructed to determine serviceability of the oil gathering station of the No 3 oil and gas production department of SOCAR’s AzNeft Production Union and estimate damage caused to the facility. The President also instructed the State Oil Company to review security at all its facilities and installations.

Under the Order, the Prosecutor General`s Office must launch an immediate investigation into the cause of the incident.