Coast Guard Suspends Search For 2 Missing Rig Workers

The Coast Guard has called off a search for two men missing from an oil platform that caught fire Friday morning off the Louisiana coast. Officials say it appears no oil is leaking from the rig.

The Coast Guard has been conducting air and sea searches for the two workers. Efforts ended when the sun set. They focused on 1400 square miles around the rig that’s 17 miles south of the Louisiana coast.

Unlike the BP spill two years ago, this platform is in 56 feet of water — not over a mile under the surface.  It’s owned by Black Elk Energy, headquartered in Texas.

Eleven workers were injured in the fire, and four remain in a Baton Rouge hospital burn unit. Efforts are under way to contact the victims’ families in the Philippines.

The Interior Department is investigating the fire.