Three bodies have been located underwater after the Prospector 5 drilling rig sank off southern Gabon, with two people still missing as search operations continue.

Three bodies have been found following the sinking of Borr Drilling’s Prospector 5 rig off the coast of Gabon, the country’s navy said on Wednesday, reducing the number of people still missing to two.

What happened to the Prospector 5 rig

The jack-up rig sank on Saturday near Mayumba while preparing for a drilling campaign for BW Energy in the Dussafu offshore license.

There were 115 people on board at the time. Of those, 110 were confirmed safe and five were initially unaccounted for.

BW Energy said the Prospector 5 lost stability and sank during jacking operations before drilling had begun.

Bodies located by underwater vehicles

Gabonese Navy Chief of Staff Charles Hubert Bekale-Meyong said remotely operated underwater vehicles located three bodies during inspections of the sunken rig.

Authorities said the images gathered so far had not allowed them to identify the victims.

Sources had previously said an Indian national was among those who died. The other four people initially missing included three Gabonese nationals and another expatriate.

The navy has not released details about the identities of the two people who remain unaccounted for.

Impact on BW Energy’s MaBoMo facility

BW Energy temporarily halted production at its nearby MaBoMo facility as a precaution. The company said there was no reported damage to the facility and no accidental discharge of harmful substances from it.

Search and recovery operations are continuing as authorities investigate the cause of the sinking.