At least one Filipino was confirmed dead in an explosion that hit an oil
platform in Louisiana over the weekend, the Philippine Embassy in
Washington said Sunday.
In a news release, the embassy said the body recovered near the offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico "belonged to one of two missing Filipino workers."
“We regret to announce that the body that was recovered near the accident scene a few hours ago belongs to one of our two missing kababayans,” Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. said.
Cuisia relayed his condolences to the family of the victim, who he did not immediately identify.
Grand Isle Shipyard Inc., the victim's employer, identified the fatality, but the Embassy withheld the fatality's identity pending notification of next of kin.
“We continue to hope and pray that our other kababayan is still alive and would be recovered soon,” Cuisia added.
The embassy said the identification of the victim came shortly after the US Coast Guard informed the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago that divers hired to assess damage to the platform recovered a body near the incident site.
This was a few hours after the search for the two missing Filipinos was called off, the embassy added.
Meanwhile, Cuisia said four Filipinos injured in the incident are being treated for serious burns at the Regional Burn Center of the Baton Rouge General Hospital also in Louisiana.
Doctors there said two of the burn victims are in critical condition while the other two are in serious condition, he said.
He also said three other Filipinos were working on the oil platform at the time of the incident but it was not immediately clear if they were among the nine workers that the US Coast Guard said were hurt in the incident.
Initial information reaching the Embassy had indicated 13 Filipinos were injured and two were missing.
But later reports showed the victims were among nine Filipinos and five non-Filipinos working on the oil production platform 25 miles off Grand Isle, Louisiana.
Checking on injured Pinoys
Cuisia said Welfare Officer Saul de Vries will proceed to Baton Rouge to check on the condition of the injured Filipino oil workers.
De Vries will also assess what assistance the Philippine government could extend to them or their families in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Philippine Consul General to Chicago Leo Herrera-Lim said the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago had been coordinating with US Coast Guard authorities and continues to monitor the situation.
He said Deputy Consul General Orontes Castro is also in touch with Grand Isle and with Black Elk Energy.
Grand Isle shipyard
The embassy said the Filipinos are employed by Grand Isle Shipyard Inc., which provides manpower to Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC, a Houston-based independent oil and gas company that owns the stricken platform.
"They are among an estimated 162 welders, fitters, scaffolders and riggers who were hired in the Philippines, through D&R Resources and its partner agency in Manila, D&R Offshore Crewing Services Resources, to work in offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico," it said. — LBG, GMA News
In a news release, the embassy said the body recovered near the offshore oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico "belonged to one of two missing Filipino workers."
“We regret to announce that the body that was recovered near the accident scene a few hours ago belongs to one of our two missing kababayans,” Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. said.
Cuisia relayed his condolences to the family of the victim, who he did not immediately identify.
Grand Isle Shipyard Inc., the victim's employer, identified the fatality, but the Embassy withheld the fatality's identity pending notification of next of kin.
“We continue to hope and pray that our other kababayan is still alive and would be recovered soon,” Cuisia added.
The embassy said the identification of the victim came shortly after the US Coast Guard informed the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago that divers hired to assess damage to the platform recovered a body near the incident site.
This was a few hours after the search for the two missing Filipinos was called off, the embassy added.
Meanwhile, Cuisia said four Filipinos injured in the incident are being treated for serious burns at the Regional Burn Center of the Baton Rouge General Hospital also in Louisiana.
Doctors there said two of the burn victims are in critical condition while the other two are in serious condition, he said.
He also said three other Filipinos were working on the oil platform at the time of the incident but it was not immediately clear if they were among the nine workers that the US Coast Guard said were hurt in the incident.
Initial information reaching the Embassy had indicated 13 Filipinos were injured and two were missing.
But later reports showed the victims were among nine Filipinos and five non-Filipinos working on the oil production platform 25 miles off Grand Isle, Louisiana.
Checking on injured Pinoys
Cuisia said Welfare Officer Saul de Vries will proceed to Baton Rouge to check on the condition of the injured Filipino oil workers.
De Vries will also assess what assistance the Philippine government could extend to them or their families in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Philippine Consul General to Chicago Leo Herrera-Lim said the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago had been coordinating with US Coast Guard authorities and continues to monitor the situation.
He said Deputy Consul General Orontes Castro is also in touch with Grand Isle and with Black Elk Energy.
Grand Isle shipyard
The embassy said the Filipinos are employed by Grand Isle Shipyard Inc., which provides manpower to Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations LLC, a Houston-based independent oil and gas company that owns the stricken platform.
"They are among an estimated 162 welders, fitters, scaffolders and riggers who were hired in the Philippines, through D&R Resources and its partner agency in Manila, D&R Offshore Crewing Services Resources, to work in offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico," it said. — LBG, GMA News
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