Image of the Day: Oil Rig ‘Deepwater Horizon’ Burns and Sinks
By LEE FERRAN, JEFFREY KOFMAN and MICHAEL MURRAY
April 22, 2010 A burning oil rig sank into 5,000 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico today while the search by air for 11 workers still missing continued. The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the search, said it will now begin to assess the pollution the disaster has caused. About 300,000 gallons of crude oil have been released into the Gulf. Nearly 100 survivors of Tuesday’s explosion — which sent several workers diving off the 75-foot platform — arrived in a New Orleans port early this morning, Kerver said. Seventeen others were taken to area hospitals, some with critical injuries. The survivors told ABC News today it was very good luck that a supply ship, the Damon Bankston, was tethered to the rig when the explosion occurred. Survivors scrambled onboard following the explosion. The Bankston’s crew then cut the lines and moved a few hundred yards from the rig, picking up the remaining survivors they found in lifeboats. Medics were then able to quickly tend to the seriously injured. … The Coast Guard said it was “preparing in advance” for any effect the explosion could have on the environment in the area. Meanwhile, an undersea robot is being used to try to plug the well as crews on the surface struggle to contain the oil spill that already stretches five miles on the surface of the Gulf.
