Gas bubbles-up in Bayou Corne community

Officials in Assumption Parish say gas bubbles in Bayou Corne are producing a diesel-like odor.

An area of slurry was found Friday in a swampy area between Grand Bayou and Bayou Corne, about a half mile from Louisiana Highway 70. The area is at least 2,500 feet from the nearest home, officials say.

State police are monitoring the area, seeking possible additional bubbling sites.

Officials say they don't expect any highways to be closed or evacuations ordered as a result of the increased monitoring.

Natural gas — found widely under swampy south Louisiana — has been reporting bubbling to the surface in Assumption waterways for several weeks and is believed to be seeping naturally out of the soil.