14 Killed as a Helicopter Crashes Onto Oil Rig Off Louisiana Coast
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LEAD: A helicopter carrying 13 offshore oil workers to begin a two-week shift in the Gulf of Mexico crashed and burned on the deck of an oil rig today, killing 12 of the workers and both pilots, the Coast Guard said. A helicopter carrying 13 offshore oil workers to begin a two-week shift in the Gulf of Mexico crashed and burned on the deck of an oil rig today, killing 12 of the workers and both pilots, the Coast Guard said. The lone survivor, identified as Anthony Fann, 23 years old, of Destrehan, La., was flown by Coast Guard helicopter 100 miles to the burn unit of West Jefferson Medical Center in suburban New Orleans. He was in critical condition with third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body, said Jim Pittman, a hospital spokesman. Chuck Kalnbach, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said the rig’s operators had confirmed 14 fatalities and that the bodies would be flown to Abbeville, where a morgue was set up. The names of the victims were not available, but officials said most were from Louisiana and Mississippi. Edward L. Villarreal, division manager of the Forest Oil Corporation, which operated the rig, said the 13 oil workers were employed by Penrod Drilling. They were flying to the rig to begin a two-week Christmas shift, he said. More : query.nytimes.com |