Oil Rig Crew Escapes Blowout

A blowout at a drill rig in the Gulf of Mexico spewed natural gas and forced 37 crew members to spend the night bobbing in heavy seas in two escape capsules before being rescued today, the Coast Guard said. The crew of the Oceanic Triton IV left the rig, about 70 miles south of Galveston, shortly before midnight because of the danger of a natural gas explosion, said Coast Guard Chief Michael Martin. Rescuers had wanted to wait until the seas calmed before getting the men, but one capsule started taking on water this morning and the 20 men were pulled from it by an oil-service boat. About an hour later, another work boat rescued the 17 men in the second pod.