Oil platform explosion kills 1, injures 3 in US gulf

By Park Sae-jin Posted : November 25, 2014, 16:56 Updated : November 25, 2014, 16:56
An offshore oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico exploded Thursday, killing one worker and injuring three others, U.S. federal officials said.

The blast happened approximately 19 kilometers off the coast of New Orleans, Louisiana on Thursday afternoon, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement confirmed in a statement.

The bureau said the rig operator, Fieldwood Energy, reported there was one fatality and three others being treated at an onshore medical facility as a result of the incident.

It was not clear what caused the explosion. The bureau said the platform was not in production at the time of the incident.

Fieldwood later released a statement, saying that it was "an isolated incident that has been fully contained." The company said the facility was not damaged and there was no pollution that resulted from the blast. The safety bureau also stressed that "facility damage was limited to the explosion area."

Fieldwood is a Houston-based portfolio company of the New York private equity firm Riverstone Holdings.

By Ruchi Singh
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