 Burning wreckage of Betelgeuse near Whiddy Island on the morning of 8 January 1979 | |
 | |
| Date | 8 January 1979 |
|---|---|
| Time | Approximately 1:00 (GMT) |
| Location | Whiddy Island, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 51°41′14″N 9°31′52″W / 51.68722°N 9.53111°W |
| Cause | Explosion, fire |
| Deaths | 51 (50 initially, 1 salvage diver) |
| Property damage | US$120+ million |
The Whiddy Island disaster, also known as the Betelgeuse incident or Betelgeuse disaster, occurred on 8 January 1979, around 1:00 am, when the oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded in Bantry Bay, at the offshore jetty for the oil terminal at Whiddy Island, Ireland. The explosion was attributed to the failure of the ship's structure during an operation to discharge its cargo of oil. The tanker was owned by Total S.A., and the oil terminal was owned by Gulf Oil.
The explosion and resulting fire claimed the lives of 50 people (42 French nationals, seven Irish nationals, and one British national). Only 27 bodies were recovered. A further fatality occurred during the salvage operation with the loss of a Dutch diver.[1]
- ^ "Oil Spillage report – The Betelgeuse incident". Cedre. April 2006. Archived from the original on 19 October 2007.