Louisiana Oil Rig Explosion Latest News: 7 Workers Hurt, 1 Missing; Authorities Suspend Search
An oil rig at Lake Pontchartrain in the state of Louisiana exploded Sunday evening, hurting seven platform workers. Meanwhile, authorities suspended search operations for one identified missing worker.
The city of Kenner confirmed the news on Sunday evening through a Facebook post. The said explosion immediately started a fire at the platform that endangered the lives of the workers on duty.
The following morning, in a press conference, Kenner officials reportedly clarified that the blast happened in unincorporated waters in the lake which puts the command responsibilities on neighboring Jefferson Parish.
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Meanwhile, Jefferson Parish authorities confirmed that there were seven people injured, where three are reportedly in critical condition while the rest were cleared to leave the hospital after receiving treatment.
Platform workers Alvin Kembrel and Lawrence Dufrene have been transferred to the Regional Burn Center at Baton Rouge General as they require further treatment "due to the severity of their injuries." James Bordelon is reportedly still in the University Hospital recovering from surgery.
The other injured workers, namely Devin Billiot, Brent Neil, Paul Pfister, and Cody Boudreaux, were also brought to the hospital but have already been released.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office reported that the oil rig was owned by Clovelly Oil Company, LLC, which is based in New Orleans.
The Jefferson Parish authorities are currently investigating the explosion, but they recently said: "Hydra Steam Generator, Inc., a Houston, Texas subcontractor working on the platform, was hired to perform a cleaning measure on the platform's pipes."
"At some time during this process, for reasons unknown at this time, an explosion occurred which resulted in a large fire on the top tier of the platform. An investigation into what caused the explosion and fire is currently underway," the Sheriff's office added.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search for a missing platform worker identified as Timothy Morrison of Katy, Texas, as of Monday evening. Coast Guard Commander Zac Ford only said in a statement: "The decision to suspend a search is never an easy one."
"We send our thoughts and prayers to the Morrison family and all those affected," he added.
