Oil Rig Explodes In Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain, Casualties Reported

UPDATE: 11.39 p.m. EDT — Ramon Vargas‏ with the New Orleans Advocate also reported that oil spilling in the lake was a possibility after the explosion. He tweeted citing officials that the cleanup of the lake could be facilitated by the shallow nature of the water, as opposed to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that occurred in 2010. The latter saw 4.9 million barrels (210,000,000 U.S. gallons) of oil being spilled into waters in the gulf with 11 deaths being reported.

UPDATE: 11.15 p.m EDT — A reporter with the New Orleans Advocate stated that seven people were rescued from the rig and were rushed to area hospitals. He also cited officials saying the blast may have happened during cleaning or maintenance work.

Original story:

At least six people were injured Sunday night after an oil rig exploded in Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain and ignited a fire, authorities said.

Kenner Police Department spokesman Sgt. Brian McGregor told The Times-Picayune that while many of the injuries were serious and their number was expected to go up, no deaths were reported because of the explosion. The cause of the explosion is not yet clear.

Several reports also stated that a seventh person who was aboard the rig was "unaccounted for."

Videos of the aftermath of the rig explosion were put up on social media by several eye-witnesses.

The explosion is reported to have occurred around 8.45 p.m. EDT, with witnesses telling WWL-TV they heard a large explosion that shook that shook their houses.

Authorities in Jefferson Parish said police from Kenner and the U.S. Coast Guard were working the explosion, located near the Treasure Chest Casino on the southwest shore of the lake.

Officials from the St. Charles Parish also wrote on Facebook: "The Emergency Operations Center is aware that an oil platform is currently on fire in Lake Pontchartrain and that it caused the loud sound earlier tonight. Officials are responding. We will keep you informed if this impacts St. Charles Parish."

WWL-TV said that the Coast Guard had a small boat and helicopter responding to the scene. The Times-Picayune reported that rescue boats were being dispatched from the Kenner Boat Launch.

According to The New Orleans Advocate, the rig was operated by CLOVELLY Oil, a company that provides oil and gas exploration and production services, operating out of Louisiana.