Asia-Pacific

Burning oil rig off Louisiana has sunk

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-04-23 03:00

Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, off Louisiana, in this handout photograph taken on April 21, 2010 and obtained on April 22. [Agencies]

HOUSTON – An oil drilling rig that was burning in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast sank on Thursday as rescuers continued searching for 11 missing workers, Transocean Ltd said.

The Deepwater Horizon went below the surface of the water - it was unclear whether it went to the bottom in several thousand feet of water - at 10:21 a.m. CDT (1521 GMT). The Coast Guard said private interests reported that the fire was extinguished.

The Coast Guard, which has sent all vessels, helicopters and aircraft in the area to look for the missing, was diverting aircraft to the scene 42 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, to confirm the reports, a spokesman said.

The rig was drilling for BP Plc with 126 workers on board when it was ripped by explosion and fire about 10 p.m. CDT Tuesday. Some 115 workers escaped, including 17 helicoptered to New Orleans area hospitals with injuries.

The search continued on Thursday for the 11 workers missing since the initial blast. Officials said they have not given up hope of finding the missing workers alive, carried from the scene by ocean currents.

Transocean, based in Zug, Switzerland, is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor. BP, one of the world's largest oil companies, is a leading oil and gas operator in the Gulf.

Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon, off Louisiana, in this handout photograph taken on April 21, 2010 and obtained on April 22. [Photo/Agencies]