Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has extended heartfelt condolences to Seplat Energy Limited following collapse of its ‘Majestic’ oil rig near Ovhor Oilfield in Sapele Local Government Area of the State.

The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, culminated in the loss of one life with three others reportedly missing.

Oborevwori in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Festus Ahon, on Wednesday in Asaba, described the incident as tragic and commiserated with the company as well as family members of the deceased.

The Governor urged the company to take urgent steps in searching for the missing crew members and launch an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the oil rig.

The Governor said: “I am deeply shocked to hear about the sad incident of your oil rig collapsing on the way to a planned drilling location and the death of one crew member with three others still missing as of press time.

“On behalf of the Government and people of Delta, I sympathise with the management of Seplat Energy Limited on the unfortunate collapse of its Majestic oil rig leading to the death of one person and missing three crew members.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the three crew members who are still missing as of this moment as well as the family and friends of the crew member who tragically lost his life.

“I urge the management of the company to intensify rescue efforts for the missing crew members and also launch an inquiry into circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident with a view to avoiding future occurence,” the Governor stated.