An offshore oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico 80 miles off the Louisiana coastline Thursday, west of the site of the April BP blast that caused a massive oil spill, Coast Guard officials said. There were 13 workers aboard the rig, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Colclough told CNN, reporting that all were accounted for with one person injured.
They will be transported to Terrebone General Medical Center in Houma, La., according to a report in the Times Picayune.
The blast was first reported by a commercial helicopter company about 9:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Casey Ranel told the Associated Press.
Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats are en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast.
Ranel says it hasn't been determined whether the structure is a production platform or a drilling rig or whether workers were aboard. Ranel says smoke was reported but it is unclear whether the rig is still burning.
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