The U.S. Coast Guard said it ended its air-and-sea search Saturday night for two men missing after an explosion and fire on a Gulf of Mexico oil rig. Petty Officer Carlos Vega said the hunt was terminated just before 5:30 p.m., The (New Orleans) Times-Picayune was quoted as saying by the United Press International. Petty Officer Jonathan Lally said 11 of the 22 people on the platform at the time of the explosion Friday morning were hurt. Four were in the burn unit at Baton Rouge General Hospital, including two in critical condition. The others were in stable condition. Nine employees got off the rig, owned by Black Elk Energy of Houston and located about 20 miles from Grand Isle, without injury. The Times-Picayune said the cause of the accident on the rig, which was not producing oil at the time, was being investigated. Authorities said it appeared workers were using a torch to cut a 3-inch-wide and 7-foot-long pipe that had about 28 gallons of oil in it, the newspaper said.
