Eleven oil rig workers missing after platform explosion

The search for eleven missing oil rig workers continued on Thursday as Coast Guard search-and-rescue teams searched the Gulf of Mexico for missing workers by rescue plane and helicopter. The Transocean-owned rig Deepwater Horizon, was seriously damaged in a blast on Tuesday night, injuring several workers and sending others scrambling for life boats.

A spokesman for the company says that the blast may have been caused by a sudden force of natural gas or oil into the pipeline, which is referred to as a “blowout”. At the time of the explosion, there were 126 workers on board the rig. The platform was constructed by a Korean company in 2001 and uses pontoons to float on the surface while anchors keep the rig in place.

The injured workers were transported to shore for attention to their injuries, including broken bones, burns, and smoke inhalation. Of the seventeen workers receiving medical attention, four were listed in serious condition. The remaining workers who did not suffer injuries were taken to Port Fourchon, Louisiana where they were reunited with their families.

Technological advancements and improved safety techniques have helped reduce the number of injuries and deaths for oil platform workers, but there have still been 69 worker deaths in the Gulf of Mexico since 2001, and nearly 1,400 reported injuries.

The oil platform explosion attorneys of Williams Kherkher are here to help if you or someone you love has been hurt in an accident. Contact us at 800-220-9341 to discuss your legal options.