From the Mirror archives

July 6, 1988

Horror at sea as the Occidental Petroleum rig Piper Alpha 120 miles north east of Aberdeen is all but destroyed following a series of nighttime explosions. Of the 227 oil workers on board, only 70 survived in the world’s worst offshore oil disaster. Trapped men had to choose between staying on the blazing rig or jumping into a sea covered in burning oil. An inquiry found Occidental guilty of having inadequate maintenance and safety procedures, but no criminal charges were ever brought.