All 13 rig workers donned bright orange survival gear — known as "Gumby suits" — and scrambled into the Gulf after the explosion. Boats are seen spraying water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, of the coast of Louisiana., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. Lane said the Coast Guard has received reports from some of the crew members on the platform that the crew was able "to initiate shutdown procedures before the explosion.'' (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Associated Press) 
 
 Boats are seen spraying water on an oil and gas platform that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Louisiana., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2010. Enlarge By Patrick Semansky, AP Two oil rig workers, left, walk away from the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that rescued them after an oil production platform exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Associated Press) 
 
 The Coast Guard initially reported that an oil sheen a mile long and 100 feet wide had begun to spread from the site of the blast, about 200 miles west of the site of BP's massive spill. At 2:15 p.m. a Coast Guard helicopter arrived at the roof of Terrebonne General Hospital, followed by another one a few minutes later. The owner of the oil and gas platform, Mariner Energy of Houston, reported that a mile-long slick was visible on the water near the rig. The blast occurred 92 miles south of Vermilion Bay, La., west of New Orleans and the Mississippi River Delta. The Coast Guard was unable to determine at this point whether the sheen was from a leaking well or some other source connected with the rig's production. A company report said the well was drilled in the third quarter of 2008. ON DEADLINE: Oil rig explosion news as it happens DEEPWATER SPILL: Engineers retrieve failed blowout preventer FULL COVERAGE: Tracking the oil spill By contrast, the Deepwater Horizon was operating in more than 5,000 feet of water and was drilling into extremely deep reservoirs under high pressure. Federal authorities have cited Mariner Energy and related entities for 10 accidents in the Gulf of Mexico over the last four years, according to safety records from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement. Mariner Energy describes itself on its website as "one of the leading independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the Gulf." The Deepwater Horizon exploded April 20, killing 11 people and setting off a three-month leak that totaled 206 million gallons of oil.
– Confusion reigns in the aftermath of today's oil platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. This much good news stands: All 13 crew members were rescued from the water. Everything else is changing quickly. The Coast Guard spoke of a mile-long oil slick at the site but now says it can't find evidence of any oil in the water. Early reports said the platform wasn't producing any oil or gas, but Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal now says it had seven active wells. The Coast Guard hasn't confirmed reports that crew members were able to shut them down before bailing. The platform, owned by Houston's Mariner Energy, was producing 59,000 gallons of oil and 900,000 cubic feet of gas per day and could store 4,200 gallons of oil, reports the AP, citing federal figures. If there is a spill of some sort, the relatively shallow depth of 340 feet should make cleanup easier. More coverage in the Times-Picayune and USA Today.