1 missing and at least 7 injured after oil rig explodes on Louisiana lake

An oil rig explosion on a lake north of New Orleans, apparently caused when cleaning chemicals ignited, injured seven people Sunday and left authorities searching for another who was missing.

There were “a lot of injuries,” many of them serious, with at least seven confirmed and more expected from the Sunday evening explosion on Lake Pontchartrain, Kenner Police Department spokesman Sgt. Brian McGregor told the Times-Picayune. No deaths were immediately reported.

Five of the injured were hospitalized with “blast-type injuries and burns” Mike Guillot, director of East Jefferson Emergency Medical Services, told reporters. They were listed in critical condition, he said.

“Authorities on the scene report that cleaning chemicals ignited on the surface of the oil rig platform,” the Kenner government posted on its Facebook page Sunday evening.

As dawn broke Monday, U.S. Coast Guard crews hoped to get a helicopter into the air in their search for the missing man, Petty Officer Lexie Preston said. The helicopter crew would look to spot any sign of pollution on Lake Pontchartrain, she said.

Reports of fire and smoke being seen from Lake Pontchartrain came into the city’s emergency operations center about 7:15 p.m., Jefferson Parish spokesman Antwan Harris said in a news release Sunday night.

Clovelly Oil Co. owns the platform, which was is in production, said Taylor Darden, a lawyer for the company who is listed as its registered agent with the Louisiana secretary of state.

The platform, located in Jefferson Parish, is used for the transfer of oil, said Chief David Tibbets of the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department. He said the department’s immediate goal is to stop oil flow and, if needed, let it burn off safely.

Authorities acknowledged there was a possibility that the fire could send oil leaking into the lake, but noted that Jefferson Parish drinking water will remain safe because it is pulled from the Mississippi River. The Coast Guard and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation will evaluate water quality.

Social media users reported hearing a loud noise that rattled homes.

Andrew Love, 32, told the Times-Picayune he was inside his house about 10 blocks away when he heard the explosion. “My house actually shook,” he said. “At first I thought it was a sonic boom or something; I had no idea what was happening.”

Flames could be seen from the area and the air smelled of burning rubber, according to the newspaper.

UPDATES:

7:22 a.m.: Updated with additional details and search plans

This story was originally published at 5:10 a.m.