An oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico with 13 aboard. All workers are accounted for, but one is injured and has been transported to Terrebonne General Medical Center in Houma.
The oil rig had seven active oil wells on the platform with one of the oil wells on fire, according to Mariner Energy, Inc., the Houston company that owns the oil rig. The oil rig is located 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay.
Rescue helicopters from New Orleans and Houston responded to the scene where workers were reported in the water in immersion suits. Coast Guard cutters were immediately dispatched to the scene.
The oil rig, known as Vermilion 398, is leaking oil with a sheen about 100 feet wide and one mile early Thursday afternoon. The rig is being checked for environmental impact.
View Gulf of Mexico in a larger map
MAP OF HORIZON AND MARINER ACCIDENT SITES: Mariner platform explosion is west of Deepwater Horizon disaster site.
See also …
oilspill.labucketbrigade.org from Tulane University, Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Tulane University Disaster Resilience Academy
Wikipedia List of Oil Spills
Mariner Energy Inc. — official website
Resore the Gulf — restorethegulf.gov — United States ‘federal portal’
Unified Area Command: Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Department of the Interior