Drama in the Gulf as Rig Crew Jump Into Sea Off Burning Rig
Oil workers were forced to throw themselves off a rig into the sea after a massive fire engulfed the platform.
The US Coast Guard were called to the scene 80 miles off the coast of Grand Isle, near New Orleans, Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico.
Crews from four surrounding boats joined rescuers as they battled the blaze.
The four crew onboard the rig saved themselves from the fire after they jumped off the platform into the sea.
There were no injuries reported, the Coast Guard said.
The fire is thought to have started at 2.30am local time (8.30am GMT).
The Clean Gulf oil spill cooperative dispatched an emergency oil response team to the fire, the US Coast Guard said.
The Coast Guard also sent a plane from its Alabama training centre to the scene.
A Coast Guard officer said at 8am EST (2pm GMT) there were no reports of any pollution so far.
Chief Petty Officer Third Class, Travis Magee added the fire was suppressed, but not yet extinguished.
The crew members were taken to Terrebonne General Hospital after jumping into the Gulf.
They were rescued by a 130ft supply vessel, the Mary Wyatt Milano.
US Biologist Dan Schneider, tweeted: “Fire on oil platform in Gulf of Mexico. Crew rescued.
“No word yet about amount of oil spilled. We never learn.”
The cause of Thursday’s blaze is under investigation, the US Coast Guard confirmed.
It comes days after the Coast Guard finished cleanup operations for a 500-gallon diesel-fuel spill in the Mississippi River near Reserve, Louisiana.
