Rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico Tuesday forced the evacuation of 47 workers aboard a drilling rig, authorities said. Natural gas flowed from the leaking rig off the Louisiana coast in the wake of the rig blowout.
Natural gas flowed uncontrolled from a well off the Louisiana coast on Tuesday after ablowout that forced the evacuation of 47 workers aboard a drilling rig, authorities said.
No injuries or fires were reported. The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said inspectors flying over the site Tuesday saw a light sheen covering an area about a half-mile by 50 feet. However, it was dissipating quickly.
The bureau says the blowout happened south of Grand Isle, about 55 miles (88 kilometers) offshore, where the water depth was reported as 154 feet (47 meters).
Earlier this month, a gas well flowed for several days before being sealed off the Louisiana coast.