British worker 'bludgeoned to death' and another fights for life after incident on Qatar oil rig
14 December 2022, 11:24 | Updated: 14 December 2022, 14:35
A British worker has been "bludgeoned" to death while another was attacked on a Qatar oil rig.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Colleagues said the worker was found dead in his room, while the other is now fighting for his life in hospital after the incident on the Seafox Burj platform in the Persian Gulf. One worker described it as a "murder and attempted murder".
Reports claimed the man who died was from the Aberdeen area, and was killed by a colleague who bludgeoned him to death, then wrapped his body in a bedsheet before leaving it in the bathroom of his quarters and heading off to eat.
It was claimed a third man was attacked after becoming suspicious about what happened/.
Their colleagues said all three men are from Scotland and employed by France-based Stapem Offshore.
"Apparently, one guy battered another worker with a breathing apparatus bottle," a co-worker said.
"We were told he then wrapped him up in the bed sheet, put him in the bathroom and went for his dinner.
"A third guy saw him and asked how the now dead man was and said he was going to see him. We heard he followed him back to the room and then hit him over the head and started to strangle him, but he managed to escape and get help."
Police were flown to the rig via helicopter and locked it down while they carry out their investigations.
The Times said another worker said: "We were told that a third guy came back and found one man was dead and that his body was wrapped in a bed sheet in the toilet.
"It is thought the person responsible was going to try to throw him overboard before getting on a chopper that same night. We were told that when he was caught he attacked the third guy."
One worker added: "It's a situation that I don't think anyone in this industry has experienced. It was a murder and attempted murder on the rig."
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has died and a man who has been injured in Qatar and are in contact with the local authorities."
One oil worker told The Sun: "Everyone in the industry is talking about this. I can't get my head round it. I've never heard of anything like it in my life."
