By IANS,
Washington : The US Coast Guard said Thursday an oil rig that has been burning for the past two days has sunk in the Gulf of Mexico and authorities are still searching for 11 workers who have been missing since an explosion ripped through the rig.
Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Mike O’Berry said the Deepwater Horizon rig sank Thursday. The platform has been burning since Tuesday night, Xinhua reported.
Authorities have been using ships to shoot water at the platform to try to control the fire and prevent it from sinking. The sinking of the platform poses a danger of pollution, as thousands of gallons of oil will be leaked to the Gulf of Mexico each day.
Eleven workers were missing after the explosion Tuesday night, and the Coast Guard is still searching for them. The rig is located at about 82 km southeast of Venice, Louisiana.