At Least 12 Workers Missing After Blast on Oil Rig in Gulf

At Least 12 Workers Missing After Blast on Oil Rig in Gulf

The U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday up to 12 workers remain missing after a fire at an oil rig in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, according to a spokesman. Seven workers were critically injured, according to MarketWatch.

An estimated 126 people had been on board the rig at the time of the explosion, officials said, and the cause of the accident was not immediately known.

The semisubmersible rig was drilling for BP about 41 miles offshore Louisiana on Mississippi Canyon Block 252, according to Transocean.

The Coast Guard received a report about 10 p.m. local time (0300 GMT) about an explosion and fire aboard the rig and dispatched units. Transocean, based in Zug, Switzerland, is the world's largest offshore drilling contractor, Reuters informs.