At least two Tunisians killed in oil field accident off Libya

At least two Tunisian oil workers were killed and two went missing when cables holding a floating reservoir snapped plunging them into the sea off western Libya, officials said Saturday.

The Tunisian consulate in Libya, on its Facebook page, said two bodies were recovered after Friday's accident at a platform in the Al-Bouri oil field, off the city of Zawiya.

Two other workers were still missing but a fifth Tunisian was rescued from the water and taken to hospital by air ambulance.

The consulate said the five worked for a Tunisian contractor in Al-Bouri.

Libya's ports authority, without giving a casualty toll, said the cables holding the reservoir snapped and announced that an investigation has been launched.

The field 120 kilometres (75 miles) off Libya is operated by Mellitah Oil and Gas, a joint venture between Italy's energy giant Eni and Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC).

The Tunisians were dismantling and towing the tank, which has been out of service since 2017, when cables holding it to the platform broke loose.