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Daily Mirror
03-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Horrific final moments of divers with 'organs forced out of body'
The Byford Dolphin diving bell incident in 1983 caused the deaths of five men after a sudden pressure change A horrifying incident on the Byford Dolphin oil rig on 5 November 1983 resulted in the instant death of five workers, while a sixth narrowly escaped with life-altering injuries. The crew were carrying out routine maintenance work at the time, as detailed in a YouTube video that has now garnered over 5 million views. The video explains how the men met their tragic end on the North Sea oil rig near Norway when a sudden pressure shift wreaked havoc on their bodies. Roy Lucas, 38, Edwin Coward, 36, Truls Hellevik, 34, Bjorn Giaever, 29, William Crammond, 33, and Martin Saunders, 30, were all on duty on the rig when disaster struck. The intense pressure caused three of the men's bodies to disintegrate into countless fragments, while another was crushed to death. The final casualty of the accident was sucked through a small opening, causing his organs to be expelled from his body. The diving team had descended to a depth of 295 feet to carry out their work, using a specialised transport vessel known as a diving bell. This diving bell was linked to a set of chambers where divers temporarily resided, allowing them to transition from the high-pressure underwater environment to pressurised living quarters. As humans descend deeper underwater, the pressure increases, reports the Mirror US. However, the primary risk is not from descending further into the depths, but rather from ascending from below. Ascending towards the surface causes nitrogen and helium to dissolve into divers' bloodstream, which can be perilously dangerous. That's why in the chambers, divers inhale a specific blend of gases - usually helium and oxygen, adjusted according to the dive's depth. If divers resurface too swiftly, the sudden pressure drop triggers decompression sickness. This condition transforms the dissolved nitrogen in the bloodstream back into gas, creating nitrogen bubbles throughout the body. Symptoms can include nausea, joint pain, and dizziness. In severe cases, it can even prove fatal. The only safeguard is a slow and careful ascent to allow the nitrogen to naturally diffuse. The diving team were due to spend up to 28 days in the confined high-pressure chamber where they worked, ate, and slept together. On the day of the dreadful incident, Hellevik and Giaever had just finished a 12-hour maintenance shift at a depth of 295 feet, as reported by the Daily Mail. After their stint, the team ascended back to the surface using the diving bell, which was then expected to be reconnected to the diving chambers. The diving tenders, who managed the air supply for the maintenance crew, had also been on duty for 12 hours at that point. Once inside from the diving bell, the two divers shut the door and adjusted the chamber's pressure to ensure a tight seal. Typically, they would then isolate the chamber and link it to the dive bell, which would gradually depressurise for diver safety. However, on this fateful day, one of the external divers unlatched the bell prematurely before full depressurisation. This unsecured clamp caused the chamber system to abruptly switch from the pressure at 297 feet underwater to surface air pressure. The sudden gush of air exiting the chamber propelled the diving bell violently, striking Crammond and killing him instantly, while leaving Saunders partially crushed under the 4000 kg object. Saunders' lungs collapsed, he sustained back fractures and a broken neck, but he was the sole survivor on board. The other divers met a far grimmer fate as the pressure ripped through the living chamber, yanking Hellaevik off his feet and causing instant death for those inside, as reported by YouTube channel Storified. The three divers Lucus, Coward and Giaever - who were resting before their shift - died instantly. According to Storified, the abrupt pressure change caused dissolved nitrogen to revert to a gas state before solidifying in their arteries, veins, hearts and other organs. The aftermath saw their body parts strewn across the chamber. Hellevik endured the most horrific death as he was nearest to the partially open connecting door. He was propelled through a 24-inch (60.9 cm) gap with a force of 25 tons, causing his organs to explode out of his body. The incident remains a mystery as its exact cause is still unclear, but it highlighted the urgent need for improvements in diving safety.
Irish Daily Mirror
03-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Daily Mirror
Horrific diving accident as in divers explode into 'a million pieces'
A horrifying incident that took place on the Byford Dolphin oil rig on 5 November 1983 resulted in the instant death of five workers, with a sixth narrowly escaping death but left with life-altering injuries. The crew were carrying out routine maintenance work at the time, as detailed in a YouTube video that has now garnered over 5 million views. The video explains how the men met their tragic end while working on the oil rig situated in the North Sea near Norway, after an abrupt change in pressure wreaked havoc on their bodies. Roy Lucas, 38, Edwin Coward, 36, Truls Hellevik, 34, Bjorn Giaever, 29, William Crammond, 33, and Martin Saunders, 30, were all on duty on the rig when the incident occurred. The extreme pressure caused three of the men's bodies to explode into countless pieces, and another was crushed to death. The final man killed in the accident was sucked through a small hole causing his organs to be expelled from his body. The diving team had descended to a depth of 295 feet to carry out their work and used a special chamber known as a diving bell to transport workers. This diving bell was linked to another set of chambers where divers temporarily resided, and these areas facilitated their transition from the high-pressure underwater environment to pressurised living quarters. Pressure underwater increases as humans descend deeper, reports the Mirror US. However, the primary risk comes not from descending further into the depths, but rather from ascending from the depths below. Rising towards the surface can cause nitrogen and helium to dissolve into a diver's bloodstream, which can be extremely perilous. That's why divers breathe a specialised mix of gases - usually helium and oxygen - in the chambers, adjusted according to the depth of the dive. If divers ascend too rapidly, the swift release of pressure can lead to decompression sickness. This causes the dissolved nitrogen in the bloodstream to revert back to gas, forming nitrogen bubbles throughout the body. This can result in symptoms such as nausea, joint pain, and dizziness. In some instances, it can even prove fatal. The only way to prevent this is by cautiously returning to the surface, allowing time for the nitrogen to naturally diffuse. The diving team were due to spend up to 28 days in the confined high-pressure chamber where they worked, ate, and slept together. On the day of the tragic incident, Hellevik and Giaever had just finished 12 hours of maintenance work at a depth of 295 feet, as reported by the Daily Mail. After their shift, the team ascended back to the surface using the diving bell, which was expected to be reattached to the diving chambers. The diving tenders, who controlled the air supply to the maintenance team, had also been working for 12 hours at that point. Once inside from the diving bell, the two divers shut the door and adjusted the chamber's pressure to ensure it was securely sealed. They would typically then isolate the chamber and connect it to the dive bell before it gradually depressurised for the divers' safety. However, on that fateful day, one of the divers outside the bell unlatched it before it had been properly depressurised. This open clamp caused the chamber system to abruptly shift from the pressure of 297 feet underwater to the air pressure at the surface. The explosive rush of air out of the chamber propelled the diving bell violently, striking Crammond and killing him instantly, while leaving Saunders partially crushed by the 4000 kg object. Saunders' lungs collapsed, he suffered fractures in his back and a broken neck, but he was the sole survivor on board. The other divers met a far more gruesome fate as the pressure ripped through the living chamber, yanking Hellaevik off his feet and causing instant death for those inside, according to YouTube channel Storified. The three divers Lucus, Coward and Giaever - who were resting before their shift - died instantly. As per Storified, the change in pressure caused dissolved nitrogen to revert to a gas state before solidifying in their arteries, veins, hearts and other organs. The result was their body parts scattered throughout the chamber. Hellevik endured the most horrific death as he was nearest to the partially open connecting door. He was propelled through a 24-inch (60.9 cm) gap with a force of 25 tons, causing his organs to explode out of his body. The incident remains an enigma as the exact cause is still not fully understood, but it highlighted the urgent need for improvements in diving safety.
Daily Record
03-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Record
Divers' harrowing deaths as organs forced out of their bodies as they explode
A horror incident saw a number of oil rig workers killed in a pressurised chamber with an explosion of air causing some men to be crushed and others to be sucked through a small hole A horrifying incident on the Byford Dolphin oil rig on November 5 1983 resulted in the instant death of five workers, with a sixth narrowly escaping but left with life-altering injuries. The crew were carrying out routine maintenance work at the time, according to a YouTube video that has now garnered over 5 million views. The video explains how the men met their tragic end while working on the oil rig situated in the North Sea near Norway after an abrupt pressure change wreaked havoc on their bodies. Roy Lucas, 38, Edwin Coward, 36, Truls Hellevik, 34 and Bjorn Giaever, 29, William Crammond, 33, and Martin Saunders, 30 were all on duty on the rig at the time of the catastrophe. The extreme pressure caused three men's bodies to explode into countless pieces and another was crushed to death. The final man killed in the accident was sucked through a small hole causing his organs to be expelled from his body. The diving team descended to a depth of 295 feet to carry out their work and used a special chamber known as a diving bell to transport workers. The diving bell was linked to another set of chambers where divers temporarily resided and these areas enabled them to transition from the high-pressure underwater environment to pressurised living quarters. Pressure underwater increases as humans descend deeper, reports the Mirror US. However, the primary risk comes not from delving further into the depths but rather from ascending from the depths below. Rising towards the surface causes nitrogen and helium to dissolve into the bloodstream of divers, which can be extremely perilous. That's why in the chambers, divers breathe a specialised mixture of gases - typically helium and oxygen, adjusted based on the depth of the dive. If the divers ascend too quickly, the rapid pressure release leads to decompression sickness. This results in the dissolved nitrogen in the bloodstream reverting back to gas, forming nitrogen bubbles throughout the body. This can cause symptoms including nausea, joint pain and dizziness. In some cases, it can also lead to death. The only prevention is to cautiously return to the surface to allow time for the nitrogen to diffuse naturally. The dive team were set to spend up to 28 days in the cramped high-pressure chamber where they worked, ate and slept together. On the day of the horrific event, Hellevik and Giaever had just completed 12 hours of maintenance work at a depth of 295 feet, reported the Daily Mail. After their shift, the team then ascended back to the surface using the diving bell, which was expected to be reattached to the diving chambers. The diving tenders who controlled the air supply to the maintenance team had also been working for 12 hours at that time. Once inside from the diving bell, the two divers shut the door and adjusted the chamber's pressure to ensure it was securely sealed. They would typically then isolate the chamber and connect it to the dive bell before slowly depressurising it for the divers' safety. However, on that fateful day, one of the divers outside the bell unlatched it before it had been properly depressurised. This open clamp caused the chamber system to abruptly shift from the pressure of 297 feet underwater to the air pressure at the surface. The explosive rush of air out of the chamber propelled the diving bell violently, striking Crammond and killing him instantly, while leaving Saunders partially crushed by the 4000 kg object. Saunders' lungs collapsed, and he suffered fractures in his back - as well as a broken neck, but he was the only survivor on board. The other divers met a far more gruesome fate as the pressure ripped through the living chamber, yanking Hellaevik off his feet and causing instant death for those inside, according to YouTube channel Storified. The three divers Lucus, Coward and Giaever - who were resting before their shift - died instantly. according to Storified, the change in pressure caused dissolved nitrogen to revert to a gas state before solidifying in their arteries, veins, hearts and other organs. The result was their body parts scattered throughout the chamber. Hellevik endured the most horrific death as he was nearest to the partially closed connecting door. He was propelled through a 24-inch (60.9 cm) gap with a force of 25 tons, causing his organs to explode out of his body. The incident remains an enigma as the exact cause is still not fully understood, but it highlighted the urgent need for improvements in diving safety.
