AN oil platform in the North Sea caught fire yesterday, and helicopters were fighting strong winds to rescue the 159 workers aboard it, the British Royal Air Force said.

At least 44 of the workers were quickly removed from the Thistle Alpha platform about 190 kilometers northwest of Britain’s Shetland Islands, and seven rescue helicopters were trying to save the others, said RAF spokesman Michael Mulford.

Battling strong northwesterly winds, the rescue helicopters — some from Britain and some from Norway — were taking rescued workers to three nearby oil platforms, Mulford said.

“This is just about as remote as it gets. It’s just nine kilometers inside the U.K. search and rescue region,” he said.

No injuries were immediately reported in the blaze, which began at about 8:30 a.m., Mulford said.

The RAF said the cause of the fire was not immediately known. Petrofac, an international service provider to the oil and gas industry, issued a statement saying that it serves as “duty holders” of the Thistle Alpha installation, on behalf of Lundin Britain Ltd. Petrofac said the cause of the blaze would be investigated.

(SD-Agencies)