Officials Say Burning Oil Rig in Gulf of Mexico Has Sunk
Burning Oil Rig Sinks in 5,000 Feet of Water While Seach Continues for 11 Men; One Suit Already Filed
April 22, 2010
A burning oil rig sank into 5,000 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico today while the search by air for 11 workers still missing continued.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the search, said it will now begin to assess the pollution the disaster has caused.
Nearly 100 survivors of Tuesday's explosion -- which sent several workers diving off the 75-foot platform -- arrived in a New Orleans port early this morning, Kerver said. Seventeen others were taken to area hospitals, some with critical injuries.
Overnight two Coast Guard cutters continued the search for the 11 missing, eerily illuminated by the massive fireball on the platform that has yet to be extinguished. The Coast Guard said aircraft were scheduled to resume the search at first light. Already nearly 2,000 square miles have been scoured, the Coast Guard said.
"We have really good weather, which is fortunate in a search and rescue case," Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Sue Kerver told "Good Morning America." "Calm seas, calm winds, good visibility."
In the meantime, the Associated Press reports that a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of one of the missing men, Shane Roshto, of Amite (Ah-mit) County, Miss. The suit claims that the companies involved in running the oil platform were negligent.
Before the rig sank, firefighting vessels struggled to contain the fire on top of the rig as plumes of smoke reportedly reaching 10,000 feet in the air.
"The best way to describe it is a big mushroom cloud, almost like a bomb went off," Coast Guard petty officer Blair Doten said.
The Coast Guard was working with BP, with which the rig is under contract, to shut down the fire's fuel source: the rig's well that can produce 13,000 gallons of raw crude oil an hour.
The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the search, said it will now begin to assess the pollution the disaster has caused.
Nearly 100 survivors of Tuesday's explosion -- which sent several workers diving off the 75-foot platform -- arrived in a New Orleans port early this morning, Kerver said. Seventeen others were taken to area hospitals, some with critical injuries.
Overnight two Coast Guard cutters continued the search for the 11 missing, eerily illuminated by the massive fireball on the platform that has yet to be extinguished. The Coast Guard said aircraft were scheduled to resume the search at first light. Already nearly 2,000 square miles have been scoured, the Coast Guard said.
"We have really good weather, which is fortunate in a search and rescue case," Coast Guard spokesperson Lt. Sue Kerver told "Good Morning America." "Calm seas, calm winds, good visibility."
In the meantime, the Associated Press reports that a lawsuit has been filed on behalf of one of the missing men, Shane Roshto, of Amite (Ah-mit) County, Miss. The suit claims that the companies involved in running the oil platform were negligent.
Before the rig sank, firefighting vessels struggled to contain the fire on top of the rig as plumes of smoke reportedly reaching 10,000 feet in the air.
"The best way to describe it is a big mushroom cloud, almost like a bomb went off," Coast Guard petty officer Blair Doten said.
The Coast Guard was working with BP, with which the rig is under contract, to shut down the fire's fuel source: the rig's well that can produce 13,000 gallons of raw crude oil an hour.
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