Revealed – a hurt that will never
● How The Scotsman reported the Piper Alpha disaster and the days that followed
The unprecedented human cost of the Piper Alpha disaster – and the struggle to comprehend its scale and cause – dominated the front pages for months following the tragedy in the North Sea.
In the very beginning, there was still hope for the crew as the rescue operation battled through the night to save oil workers on the stricken rig. Quickly, that hope disappeared with the new day bringing a sense of the devastation in the North Sea.
The “Death of Piper Alpha” was how The Scotsman reported the story as the likely death toll rose to 164 within just over 24 hours of the first explosion on the rig. As reporters gained access to survivors in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the horrors of the night became brutally clear.
The newspaper reported: “For almost an hour men were faced with the agonising life or death decision either to wait for rescue on the collapsing structure as it was torn apart by smaller explosions or to jump blindly into the sea and swim to safety.
“Many did not even have that choice. They were trapped by the fire in their beds or in the recreation rooms of the maze of stairs and corridors in the accommodation area. In total darkness as the electricity failed, the windows began shattering in the intense heat and the oxygen was burned from the air.”
The following day, Grampian Police released a list of names and addresses of those who survived – and those still unaccounted for.
Not a corner of Scotland remained untouched. From Tain to Buckie, Lossiemouth and Brechin to Dundee, Kirkcaldy, Glasgow and Wemyss Bay, losses were felt nationwide. Aberdeen and the surrounding shire 167 people lost their lives after a gas leak on the North Sea platform ignited, engulfing Piper