Oil Rig Explosion

On a warm summer night in July 1988, the Piper Alpha oil rig in the middle of the North Sea was the scene of the world's deadliest offshore accident. After a pipe malfunction left gas leaking, an explosion was triggered, which, as the gas pipes melted in the ensuing blaze, became a series of massive blasts. With over 300-foot-high flames, helicopter rescue was not an option for the 230 men on board – workers were forced to battle their way through the smoke and fire-filled labyrinth of the Piper Alpha oil rig in order to survive.