Louisiana Oil Rig Explosion Injures at Least 7, 1 Person Missing

At least seven people were injured and one person was reported missing in a Louisiana oil rig explosion Sunday night on Lake Pontchartrain.

The explosion occurred around 7:15 p.m., with search and rescue operations continuing until shortly after 10 p.m., The Times-Picayune reported.

Five of the wounded who were taken to the University Medical Center had sustained "blast type injuries and burns," said Mike Guillot, director of East Jefferson Emergency Medical Services, and were in critical condition, The Times-Picayune reported.

The other two patients were taken to East Jefferson General Hospital and were reported to be in a stable condition.

The explosion could be heard for miles as it echoed through the surrounding neighbourhoods.

"My house actually shook," Andrew Love told The Times-Picayune. "At first I thought it was a sonic boom or something, I had no idea what was happening."

The platform where the explosion took place is used for the transfer of oil, as opposed to drilling, and officials believe the explosion could have resulted from cleaning chemicals igniting on the surface of the platform.

East Bank Consolidated Fire Department Chief David Tibbets said the first objective was to stop oil flow, even if that meant allowing it to burn off safely, The Times-Picayune reported.

The Coast Guard and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation both will be conducting water quality evaluations.

• Oil Rig Explosion in Texas Kills 3 Workers, Injures Fourth
• Oil Rig Explosion Kills 4, Injures 45 in Gulf of Mexico