Blast spills more oil in Gulf of Mexico

Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about a mile long and 100ft wide, was spotted near the platform off Louisiana owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc.

He said Mariner had deployed three firefighting vessels to the site and one was already in place fighting the blaze.

The Coast Guard says no one was killed in the explosion and fire, which was first reported by a commercial helicopter flying over the site yesterday morning. All 13 people aboard the rig were rescued as they floated in the water in survival outfits.

The platform is in about 340ft of water and about 100 miles south of Vermilion Bay on the central Louisiana coast. Its location is considered shallow water, much less than the 5,000ft in the area where BP's well spewed oil and gas for three months after an April rig explosion.

The BP-leased rig Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a three-month gusher that pushed out 206 million gallons of oil.

All 13 people aboard Mariner's rig were found floating in the water, sticking close together, Coast Guard spokesman Chief Petty Officer John Edwards said.

"These guys had the presence of mind, used their training to get into those gumby suits before they entered the water. It speaks volumes to safety training and the importance of it."

All were being flown to a hospital to be checked over. Coast Guard Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau said one person was injured, but the platform's owner, Houston-based Mariner Energy, Inc, said there were no injuries.

"Mariner has notified and is working with regulatory authorities in response to this incident. The cause is not known, and an investigation will be undertaken."