Thursday's explosion aboard an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico is now under investigation by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
Jerrel "Bubba" Hancock
Thursday's explosion aboard an oil production platform in the Gulf of Mexico is now under investigation by the federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
In a press release issued Friday, the bureau says Thursday's explosion happened at 3 p.m., and resulted in one death and three injuries aboard Fieldwood Energy's Echo platform, which is located about 12 miles offshore from the mouth of the Mississippi River.
According to the release, the explosion happened near an area where contractors with Turnkey Cleaning Services were cleaning a heater treater on the platform.
As for the three people injured during the incident, they've since been evacuated and released from the hospital, according to Friday's press release. According to this report from KATC TV3, the one fatality from the incident involved 24-year-old Jerrel "Bubba" Hancock of Abbeville, who was working with Turnkey Cleaning at the time of the incident. He was an Abbeville High graduate and leaves behind a wife and two children.
A team from the bureau, including engineers, inspectors and investigators, are currently on the platform investigating the incident.