Offshore Rig In China Sinks

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.