A large fire broke out at an oil platform off India's western coast on Wednesday and some casualties are feared, the petroleum minister said. «We had a major fire and the platform has been completely destroyed,» Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer told reporters, according to AP. An estimated 300 people were on board the platform, and a supply vessel and a rig in the area also have been destroyed, Aiyer said. «It is not possible at this stage to give any estimate about the casualties,» Aiyer said. He said reports suggest that some people left the platform on lifeboats and some others were able to cross a bridge connected to another rig in the region. The oil platform is located 160 kilometers (100 miles) off Bombay, India's financial capital. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Helicopters were sent to evacuate people. The navy and coast guard have also been asked to help in the rescue operation, Aiyer said. Bombay High is India's largest oil field, producing about half the country's crude output.
