Two feared dead in rig collapse

The Shengli Oilfield No. 3 drilling platform leaned over 45 degrees when Typhoon Malou struck the Bohai Bay Tuesday evening. (Xinhua Photo)

A rescue helicopter (Xinhua Photo)

Four people fell into the sea while 32 were trapped on the platform. (Xinhua Photo)

By 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, 34 people, including two who fell into the sea, had been saved. (Xinhua Photo)

Rescuers were still searching for the other two who fell into the sea. (Xinhua Photo)

Emergency personnel rescued 34 workers as of late last night from an oil platform that tilted and pitched dangerously Tuesday near China's east coast, and the search continued for two other workers still missing, despite their slim chance of survival, an official with the rig's operator said Wednesday.

The No. 3 drilling platform in the Shengli Oilfield in the Bohai Bay near eastern Shandong Province, operated by the China Petroleum & Chemical Corp (Sinopec), Asia's largest refiner by capacity, tilted at a 45-degree angle to the sea early Tuesday, causing four workers to fall into the water and trapping 32 of them on the platform, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The valve on the oil rig has been closed and there is no risk of an oil spill, the company said in a statement.

(Agencies)