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A total of 167 workers died in the Piper Alpha disaster in 1988 By Ken Banks North East and Northern Isles reporter, BBC Scotland news website Certain names have found themselves destined to forever be synonymous with tragedy in Scottish history. Lockerbie. Dunblane. Each conjures up memories of human loss on a shocking scale. On 6 July, 1988, there was another unwelcome addition to that infamous list. Piper Alpha. Just before 2200 BST, a major gas leak was followed by fire and a series of explosions on the North Sea platform. The heat ruptured a gas pipeline from another platform causing another massive explosion and fireball that engulfed Piper Alpha. It all took just 22 minutes and left 167 of the workers on board dead. Many of the 61 who survived had to jump into the sea through darkness, a desperate leap that killed... [read full story]
