Search for missing oil platform worker stopped

NEW ORLEANS The search for a worker who has been missing since an oil rig exploded off the Louisiana coast has been stopped, according to Black Elk Energy.

The worker has been missing since Friday's explosion and fire aboard an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

The missing crewman, Jerome Malagapo of the Philippines, was employed by Grand Isle Shipyard Inc., which had a contract with Black Elk to refurbish the platform.

The body of a second missing worker, 42-year-old Elroy Corporal, was found Saturday and turned over to the Jefferson Parish coroner, added the company, which said it is cooperating with investigators.

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Black Elk is an independent oil and gas company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company's website says it holds interests in properties in Texas and Louisiana waters, including 854 wells on 155 platforms. This particular platform was located in 56 feet of water about 20 miles southeast of Grand Isle, La.

The company said in a statement released Tuesday night that they would focus on the victims and their families, including those injured in the incident.

Twenty four people were on the production platform at the time of the explosion, and four workers who suffered burns during the platform fire are being treated at the Baton Rouge Medical Center. The Philippine Embassy in Washington has said all the workers are from the Philippines.

The cause of the explosion and fire aboard the platform is under investigation.