Norwegian and British helicopters raced to rescue 159 workers from a British oil platform that caught fire in the North Sea Sunday, a British Defense Ministry official said, as cited by CNN.

"They've made a good start and it's now just a question of as many guys you can get of in one go," Royal Air Force spokesman Michael Mulford said in an ITN interview.

Seven helicopters were involved in the rescue effort, including aircraft from the British Coast Guard and the Royal Air Force, Mulford said.

"We are very lucky that we have three neighboring platforms within five or six miles and in that sort of distance we will be able to land and refuel," he said.

The platform is in the United Kingdom section of the North Sea, about 120 miles northeast of the Scottish coast, according to a map.

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