MOSCOW (Sputnik) — One person is missing and seven others were injured in an oil rig explosion on Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana, local media reported.
According to the New Orleans Advocate media outlet, the explosion took place late on Sunday. The seven injured people were taken to two different hospitals in New Orleans.
Several boats and a helicopter are currently conducting a search and rescue mission as there is one more person possibly on the rig.
The City of Kenner Government posted on its Facebook page that local authorities on the scene reported that chemicals ignited on the surface of the oil rig platform were being cleaned.
The rig at which the explosion happened is reportedly operated by the local Clovelly Oil Company, the media said, adding that the US Department of Natural Resources could not confirm or deny the information.
ICYMI: 7 people injured, 5 critically, after oil rig explosion on Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain, authorities say. pic.twitter.com/8K99NX1Yk4
— 🇺🇸Patriot 24/7🇺🇸 (@TrumpTrain45Pac) October 16, 2017
