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A shallow-water oil platform of the coast of Louisiana caught fire this morning and Houston TV station KHOU is reporting that two workers are dead and two more are missing. The U.S. Coast Guard has activated a command center to investigate the incident.

According to the report, the rig is owned by an unnamed Houston-based energy company, but KHOU also cites a spokesman for Black Elk Energy as saying that four other workers were air-lifted to a hospital in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Black Elk Energy is a privately held company that owns interests in 854 wells on 155 platforms on 430,000 gross acres in the Gulf of Mexico according to the company’s web site.

At this time there is no report of crude oil leaking from the well into the waters of the Gulf. Details are scarce related to the incident, but the Coast Guard is expected to provide additional details later this morning.

Paul Ausick