Complex sentence: Almost all the victims lost their lives in the water when burning oil on the surface was driven towards the shore by the wind; the sailors who survived had jumped on the other side of the ship, against the wind, being later rescued by boats.
Split into simpler sentences: Almost all the victims lost their lives in the water when burning oil on the surface was driven towards the shore by the wind. The sailors which survived had jumped on the other side of the ship, against the wind, being later rescued by boats.