BREAKING: Offshore oil rig explodes in Gulf

[edthecynic]

Offshore oil rig explodes in Gulf - WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather & Sports

The U.S. Coast Guard reported an oil platform off the coast of Louisiana caught fire Friday, according to multiple news outlets. The rig is owned by Black Elk Energy. Kirk Trascher, Black Elk asset manager, told WAFB they "cannot confirm or deny anything at this time."
"We are assembling an incident command team right now," Trascher said.

KHOU reported two people were killed, two more were missing and four were injured. No word on if any oil has been spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.
Jefferson Parish, LA, Councilman Chris Roberts told WWL the facility is a shallow water platform in West Delta Block 32.
It is located about 20 miles south of Grand Isle, LA. The USCG activated a command center to investigate.
According to the Associated Press, it is a production platform, unlike the Deepwater Horizon rig, which was drilling an exploratory well in mile-deep water well to the east of Friday's reported explosion.

 

[KissMy]

Not again!!!

Didn't the BP idiots get sent to jail???

Didn't Obama toughen up the regulations???

 

[jillian]

drill, baby, drill

 

[RoadVirus]

And before the Anti-Oil drilling crowd get's really revved up:

Two workers were missing and 11 were airlifted to hospitals Friday after an explosion and fire aboard a Gulf of Mexico oil rig that was apparently triggered by workers using a torch to cut into a pipe, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

--SNIP--

The fire was later extinguished, Coast Guard Capt. Ed Cubanski told reporters, and the platform appears to be structurally sound.

The platform was not actively producing oil and a sheen spotted in the water was probably from an estimated 28 gallons of oil that could have spilled when a pipe ruptured, Cubanski said.

It does not appear the incident could lead to a major environmental disaster, added Coast Guard Capt. Peter Gautier.

2 missing, 11 hurt in Gulf oil rig blast tied to workers using torch - U.S. News