Pinoy welder missing after falling off oil rig in Gulf of Mexico

MANILA, Philippines - American authorities are now searching for a Filipino oil worker who reportedly went missing after an accident in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week, the Philippine Embassy in the United States said Tuesday.

The Embassy said in its Twitter account that the US Coast Guard is still searching for the Filipino welder who was knocked off an oil rig 55 miles off the coast of Louisiana on Sunday evening.

"Coast Guard says missing Filipino fell off platform in Vermillion Block 200 south of Freshwater Bayou between Lake Charles and Baton Rouge," the Embassy said.

It added that the US Coast Guard has told Embassy Welfare Officer Saul de Vries that search and rescue operations for the 38-year old Filipino worker are still ongoing.

The Embassy explained that two cutters, two airplanes and two helicopters from US Coast Guard and six civilian offshore supply vessels are involved in the search.

The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago is also trying to reach authorities to get more information on the missing Filipino oil worker.

The Philippine Embassy said the incident comes almost a year after an oil rig fire in the Gulf of Mexico killed 3 Filipino  workers and seriously injured three others.