(MENAFN) A fire broke out early on Tuesday morning at the Benguela Belize Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) offshore oil platform located off the coast of Angola, injuring 17 workers who were performing scheduled maintenance work, as reported by the country’s oil and gas regulatory authority.

The fire started around 3 a.m. local time on the platform’s basement deck, which is part of the multi-tiered structure.

The platform is operated by Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (CABGOC), a subsidiary of the US-based energy corporation Chevron, and it was undergoing its routine annual maintenance during the incident.

“The cause of the fire is currently under investigation,” stated Angola’s National Agency of Oil, Gas, and Biofuels (ANPG) in an official release, adding that the teams from CABGOC responded quickly and managed to successfully put out the fire.

The ANPG also noted that production at the platform had been suspended since May 1 as part of the scheduled maintenance activities.

All of the injured workers were evacuated by air to medical facilities onshore for treatment.

According to reports from a news agency, six individuals were flown to the Sacred Hope Clinic in Luanda, where four are in critical condition, and the other two are reported to be in very serious condition.

Another four victims are being treated at Cabinda’s General Hospital, where the acting clinical director confirmed that the patients had sustained minor burns.

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