123 dead in Norway's worst oil industry accident. Now meetings are canceled because no one will fund the support group.

The support group for victims of the Alexander Kielland platform disaster has been forced to cancel planned gatherings, citing a critical lack of financial support. The group had organized a fall assembly for survivors, widows, and children, but had to call it off because no one would provide funding.

This decision comes despite recommendations from the National Knowledge Centre on Violence and Traumatic Stress (NKVTS), which concluded that Kielland victims suffer from poorer health and quality of life compared to the general population. NKVTS had advised the support group to continue arranging meetings. Professionals were engaged to lead small group discussions, and many British victims had already booked flights, believing they would finally receive support through the Health Directorate's grant schemes.

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We had invited the survivors, the widows, and the children to a gathering this autumn. We had to cancel, as no one wants to give us support.

However, the support group has faced repeated rejections from these funding avenues over several years, even after appealing to the Ministry of Health and Care Services. The Alexander Kielland platform capsized in the North Sea in 1980, resulting in the deaths of 123 people. While numerous investigations have occurred, responsibility for the accident remains unclear. The support group's board member, Åse Kringlebotn, expressed dismay, calling it "undignified" that Norway, despite its vast oil wealth built partly on the sacrifices of oil workers, cannot offer support to those severely affected by the disaster.

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Alexander Kielland disaster is Norway's biggest catastrophe, and it is undignified that no one in our rich country can provide support to the severely affected people. When Norway's enormous oil wealth was built on the shoulders of the dead and injured oil workers, this is a great shame.