ROME (AP) — Italian energy company Eni says a crane fell off a methane gas extraction platform, plunging into the Adriatic sea and leaving the crane’s operator missing.
Eni says the crane also struck a supply vessel, injuring two crew members aboard.
The Italian coast guard says the accident happened Tuesday morning in international waters, 32 nautical miles (60 kilometers, 40 miles) offshore Ancona, an Italian port, when platform infrastructure gave way.
Coast Guard Rear Adm. Enrico Moretti told Sky TG24 TV it appeared the operator was trapped in the cabin of the crane, which had been loading a 7-ton canister.
An Italian air force helicopter, fire department divers and coast guard boats searched for the 63-year-old operator of the crane, which ended up some 30 meters (100 feet) under water.
