Brothers visit Norway after losing dad in Alexander Kielland disaster

Wayne and Alan Hunter recently travelled to Norway with other families from the UK who lost loved ones in the Alexander Kielland disaster.

Their dad, Keith Hunter, who was from Distington, perished in the disaster on March 27, 1980. He was just 34 years old.

The Alexander Kielland platform capsized in the North Sea, killing 123 of the 212 people on board. No one has been held responsible for the accident.

Wayne and Alan only discovered the true extent of what happened in the disaster last year when members of The Kielland Network – a group of survivors and bereaved family members - visited them in Cumbria.

During their visit to Norway last month, the brothers met with members of the group, who have called for a new inquiry to be held after a number of flaws were highlighted with the Norwegian inquiry, which was closed to the public.

Wayne and Alan Hunter visit the Alexander Kielland memorial, Brutt lenke (Image: Family handout)

Wayne, of Cleator Moor, said: “It was surreal. We are still seeking a public inquiry. We have gone over there and found out the rig wasn’t fit for purpose.

“Our dad is still in the middle of the North Sea, still in an underwater graveyard.”

Alan, of Distington, said: “We want the world to know. It’s not right. Why haven’t the British Government done anything to help these families in England? Why haven’t they searched for him?

“We have never had a grave to go and put flowers on. We have been through trauma when we were young. We are going through it again.”

After speaking to a survivor, the brothers discovered that their dad had been in charge of choosing the film to watch on the night the oil rig capsized. He had chosen Bette Middler’s ‘The Rose’ and the title song had been playing when disaster struck.

Wayne said: “We met a survivor who was the last person to see our dad before he died. We were led to believe that he was in the cinema. He got out of that room. All our thoughts have changed. They got out of the cinema and were in the sea.”

The brothers received a copy of their dad's passport for the first time (Image: Family handout)

They were also handed a photocopy of their dad’s passport – which they had never seen before - by a university student who had been studying the disaster.  

Alan said: “There are a lot of people who have been knocked sideways by the trauma. Nobody has helped us since day one. It’s taken me back to being 11 years old.

“We waited 43 years for people to come from Norway to tell us what happened. The things that have come out in 12 months are unbelievable.”

Wayne added: “It’s not something we can just cast aside. I can’t think about it too much. It upsets me.

“We are going through feelings now we have never had before.”