At least seven people were injured following an explosion of an oil rig on Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain Sunday evening, Oct. 15, according to published reports.
Kenner Police Department spokesman Sgt. Brian McGregor said there were "a lot of injuries," many of them serious, with at least seven confirmed and more expected, according to the The Times-Picayune.
Three of the seven people injured in the explosion remain in critical condition, two in the burn unit at a Baton Rouge hospital.
One person is believed to be missing
Sheriff Joe Lopinto of Jefferson Parish said at a news conference, "We are fairly confident there is an eighth person," adding that search efforts were continuing and that they would look for him "as long as it takes."
The Coast Guard has contacted the person's family and have continued their search on Monday, according to NBC News.
Meanwhile, rescue workers were able to make it onto the still-smoldering rig and shut off the main gas line. The rig, which is owned by Clovelly Oil Co. of New Orleans, is located about a mile-and-a-half north of Kenner, Louisiana.
The timeline
The blast occurred shortly after 7 p.m. near St. Charles Parish and the city of Kenner.
The exact cause of the explosion is still not clear, but officials said they suspect cleaning chemicals on the platform may have ignited during some kind of maintenance work.
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