2nd LD: One death confirmed after Azerbaijani oil pier collapses in Caspian Sea

One death was confirmed among at least 10 missing workers Thursday after an oil pier operated by Azerbaijani state energy firm SOCAR partially collapsed in the Caspian Sea.

One body was found and identified, Balamirza Agarahimov, chief engineer of SOCAR's AzNeft Production union, told reporters.

The pier was damaged in a powerful storm at an oil gathering station on Thursday morning and part of it collapsed, said SOCAR. Five of the missing workers were on the pier at the time of the collapse while the rest were in living quarters.

"Additional vessels and divers have been already brought to the area of accident," a SOCAR spokesman said, adding that it is impossible to continue search and rescue operations due to severe weather conditions.

President Ilham Aliyev has given instructions on the search for the missing oil workers, participated by the Emergency Situations Ministry and the Caspian Shipping Company, among others.

Azerbaijan is a major energy producer in the oil-rich Caspian region. Endi