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Oil rig explosion reported in Gulf of Mexico CNN) -- An oil rig has exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana, with 13 people overboard, including one injured, the Coast Guard said Thursday morning.
The explosion happened south of Vermilion Bay on the Vermilion Oil Rig 380, which is owned by Mariner Energy, said John Edwards, a chief petty officer with the Coast Guard in New Orleans.
Thirteen people have been accounted for, said Petty Officer Bill Colclough of the Coast Guard. One person is injured, he said, and all are headed to a hospital in Terrebonne Parish.
Colclough told CNN that authorities are trying to determine the cause of the blast, and that the rig apparently is still on fire. Asked whether a leak has resulted from the explosion, he said the rig "was not actively producing any product."
"We do not know if there are any additional concerns of pollution," Colclough said.
He said Coast Guard helicopters and cutters are en route to the scene.
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