Port Fourchon - Seventeen people were treated for injuries after an explosion Tuesday night rocked an oil rig platform in the Gulf of Mexico and sent towers of flames and smoke into the sky.
Eleven people were reported missing after the initial blast. Three of the workers are in critical condition, but at this point, no one has been reported dead. Workers are being treated for injuries like broken bones, smoke inhalation and burns, authorities said.
Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said he believed the missing workers were found in a lifeboat around 10 a.m. However, the Coast Guard said later that the search for the missing workers is still on.
The Coast Guard says 115 people on the oil rig have been accounted for, including 98 people headed for Port Fourchon and 17 people that were medivaced to area hospitals. The uninjured workers are expected to pull into port at 8 p.m.
Several injured workers were airlifted to Belle Chasse, then taken by ambulance to West Jefferson Hospital. A spokeswoman with the hospital says the four patients brought there have been released. Three other patients were taken to University Hospital, according to officials. Two of them have been admitted, while the third is under a doctor's observation. Authorities have not identified any of the injured workers.
A hotline has been set up for family members of workers who might have been working on the rig at the time of the blast. That number is 832-587-8554.
The platform is approximately 52 miles southeast of Venice. Smoke and fire could still be seen billowing into the air Wednesday afternoon. Coast Guard officials say the fire has spread to the water near the rig. The rig, which covers about the same area as a football field, is also reported to be listing more than 50 degrees.
Authorities received the call about the explosion on the MODU Deepwater Horizon, owned by Transocean Ltd., about 10 p.m. Tuesday.
"It's burning pretty good and there's no estimate on when the fire will be put out," Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Mike O'Berry said.
Right now, there is no word on what caused the explosion and fire. The Coast Guard has three helicopters and several boats assisting with the search.
The Associated Press reports a company official said there was no sign of trouble before the platform exploded.
The rig was drilling but was not in production, according to Greg Panagos, spokesman for its owner, Transocean Ltd., in Houston. The rig was under contract to BP PLC. BP spokesman Darren Beaubo said all BP personnel were safe but he didn't know how many BP workers had been on the rig.
Kerver said the Coast Guard and the Minerals Management Service will work together to investigate possible causes of the accident.
"It's still too early to tell the cause," Panagos said. "Our focus right now is on taking care of the people."
According to Transocean's website, the Deepwater Horizon is 396 feet long and 256 feet wide. The rig was built in 2001 by Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard in South Korea. The site is known as the Macondo prospect, in 5,000 feet of water.
The rig is designed to operate in water depths up to 8,000 feet and has a maximum drill depth of about 5.5 miles. It can accommodate a crew of up to 130.
