Burning rig sinks in Gulf of Mexico

[Bozita]

Source: CNN

Burning rig sinks in Gulf of Mexico
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 22, 2010 1:51 p.m. EDT


(CNN) -- An oil rig that has been burning in the Gulf of Mexico for more than a day has sunk, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.

Lt. Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau of the Coast Guard announced this latest development as the search continued for 11 workers who have been missing since an explosion on the rig Tuesday night off the Louisiana coast.

Crude oil was leaking from the rig at the rate of about 8,000 barrels per day, Coast Guard Petty Officer Ashley Butler said. The Coast Guard also is preparing for possible leaks of up to 700,000 gallons of diesel fuel but can do little to protect the environment until the fire is out, Butler said.

An investigation was under way to determine what caused the blast about 10 p.m. Tuesday aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/22/oil.rig.explosion/index.html?hpt=T1