Before I share the story with you, I want to re-iterate my profound
opposition to Extractive industry:

Mining below 30ft of sea level or a depth necessary to withdraw underground
 water.
Off-shore and On-shore drilling.

I came to this position with the spiritual understanding that earthquakes,
tsunamis, and some other natural correction events occur to regain
equilibrium  that has been upset by these and other unconscionable human activity.
There  are other natural counterpoises that take a long time to reverse, one
of which  is an almost permanent alteration of rota-radius.... The change in
our earth's  rotational radius and therefore the seasons.

Now here's the story: Courtesy-BBC News. Haruna. Please go to the BBC News
site to view the short news video. 115 people have been accounted for.
Coast  guard cutter continues to search for the missing. Darbo. AL Mutawakkil.



Tackling oil rig disaster 'number one priority' - Obama




Advertisement

Mike O'Berry, US Coast Guard: "We'll search until all  likelihood of
success has passed"
US President Barack Obama has said that dealing with  Tuesday's oil rig
disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is a "number one  priority".
The government was providing "all assistance needed" in the rescue  effort
off Louisiana, and in mitigating any environmental impact, he said.
The Deepwater Horizon sank after a blast, leaving 11 workers missing.
There are fears of a major spill, with the coastguards saying the rig  may
be leaking 8,000 barrels of oil per day.
'Assumed dead'
The rig was carrying out exploratory drilling 84km (52 miles)  south-east
of the Louisiana port of Venice when the blast occurred.
Seventeen workers were injured and more than 100 were evacuated.
The rig had been burning for 36 hours when it sank on Thursday in 5,000  ft
(1,500m) of water, despite efforts to control the flames.

There has been no sign of the 11 missing workers, despite rescue  efforts
by patrol boats and an aerial search.
Adrian Rose, from Transocean, which owns the rig, said those  unaccounted
for may have been close to the blast and unable to escape.
Carolyn Kemp, whose 27-year old grandson is missing, said that families
had been told that it was unlikely any more had survived.
"They're assuming all those men who were on the platform are dead," Ms
Kemp told Associated Press. "That's the last we've heard."
Leak fears
Rescue crews had covered the expanse of the rig 12 times by air and  five
times by boat before it sank.
Seventeen of the 126 workers were evacuated by air and sea for  treatment
on Wednesday.
DEEPWATER HORIZON


Designated a semi-submersible drilling unit
Built in 2001 by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy  Industries Shipyard
Size: 396ft (120m) long by 256ft (78m) wide
Designed to operate in water depths of up to  8,000ft




_In pictures: Oil rig blaze_
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8639521.stm)

Those injured had suffered burns, smoke inhalation and broken bones.  Four
were critically injured.
Another 100 were later taken by boat to Port Fourchon where they were
checked by doctors. They were then taken to a hotel in New Orleans to be
reunited with their families.
Meanwhile, there are worries that the now submerged rig is leaking  large
volumes of oil into the Gulf.
Before the explosion, the rig carried 2.6m litres of diesel fuel and  was
pumping 8,000 barrels (1.27m litres) of crude oil a day - a volume  which may
still be leaking from the well into the Gulf of Mexico.
Rear Adm Mary Landry said crews saw an area measuring one mile by five
miles (1.5km by 8km) of what appeared to be oil on the surface of the  water.
Officials say the environmental damage would be worst if any spill  reached
the Louisiana shore, 50 miles away.
An operation was being mounted to contain and clean-up the spill,
including skimmers, booms to contain the oil and aeroplanes to drop  dispersants on
it.
A remote-controlled submarine has been deployed to find the exact  location
of the sunken rig and the condition of the well.
Deepwater Horizon was drilling for BP on part of the Mississippi Canyon
Block 252 known as the Macondo prospect, in 1,500m (5,000ft) of water.
Built in 2001 by South Korea's Hyundai, the semi-submersible rig is  120m
(396ft) long and 78m (256ft) wide, according to Transocean.
It said there had been no signs of trouble before the explosion and  crews
had been doing routine work.
The dangers of working on an oil rig have declined in recent decades,  but
the job can still be risky.
Since 2001, there have been 858 fires and explosions in the Gulf,
according to the federal Minerals Management  Service.


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