Even 25 years on, Charles Haffey's most powerful memory of the Piper Alpha disaster was the overwhelming, deafening noise. The vast inferno created by simultaneous eruptions from ruptured gas and crude oil pipelines sounded like thousands of blow torches alight at full pressure.
That intense, inescapable roar was accompanied by other sounds, as the extraordinary heat melted steel, fracturing Piper Alpha's vast structure, as glass windows exploded and as its offices, canteens and sleeping quarters disintegrated.
There were three then four vast explosions, each seeming more devastating than the last, spread out over several hours.
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Piper Alpha survivors recall disaster 25 years on | Business | guardian.co.uk
BBC News - Piper Alpha: How we survived North Sea disaster
