Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations, LLC confirmed that a fire ignited Friday morning on the company’s platform located at West Delta 32 Block, in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico approximately 17 miles southeast of Grand Isle, La.
There were 22 workers on the platform at the time of the incident. Two workers went missing.
Nine workers were injured and are now being treated at a number of hospitals in the New Orleans area. Eleven workers were safely evacuated.
Coast Guard suspend search
The U.S. Coast Guard crews searched a 1,400 square-mile area for more than 32 hours in an effort to locate the two missing crewmembers, and on Saturday at approximately 5:25 p.m. decided to suspend the search.
The production platform has been shut in since mid-August.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) on Friday began an investigation into the explosion and fire.
Offshore Energy Today Staff, November 18, 2012; Image: U.S. Coast Guard