SOCAR said earlier a fire had broken out at the well on one of the Guneshli oil platforms, which belongs to the company.

   

"According to more accurate information, the gas leakage which happened during maintenance work on well number 71, resulted in a gas fountain," Khalik Mamedov told Reuters. "There has been no fire."

   

Mamedov said the accident did not pose any threat to the 49 workers on the oil platform, and there was no need to evacuate them.

   

In December last year, 30 workers were killed on one of SOCAR's offshore rigs during a large storm.