Louisiana oil rig blaze leaves at least 11 missing

Deepwater Horizon oil platform

The Coast Guard has reported seven injured and at least 11 workers missing after an oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana.

The blast occurred on Tuesday night, on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico. 126 workers were reported to be working on the drilling platform at the time of the explosion. 

It is thought the majority of the 126 people escaped safely after the explosion at about 10pm local time. Four helicopters, four coast guard boats and a plane were helping search for the missing workers.

"We're hoping everyone's in a life raft," Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Mike O'Berry said.  

The rig was still burning hours after the blast on Tuesday night 52 miles south-east of the Louisiana port of Venice.

"It's burning pretty good and there's no estimate on when the fire will be put out," O'Berry said.

According to reports, the seven injured workers were airlifted to a naval air station near New Orleans, then taken to hospitals. Two were taken to a trauma centre in Mobile, Alabama, which has a burns unit.

O'Berry confirmed many workers who escaped the rig were being brought to land on a workboat while authorities searched the Gulf of Mexico for any signs of lifeboats.

The rig was drilling but was not in production, according to Greg Panegos, spokesman for its owner, Transocean Ltd., in Houston. The rig was under contract to BP.

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