Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf of Mexico

An oil rig owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, 80 miles South of Vermilion Bay. A Coast guard officer said all 13 people on the rig were accounted for, with one sustaining injuries, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Earlier this afternoon, the Coast guard said that a mile-long oil sheen was observed spreading from the site of the explosion. In a news conference a few hours later they walked back their original statement, saying that boats on the site could not see oil, according to the AP.