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Body Found Near Burned Offshore Rig

The body of one of two missing oil rig workers has been found near the offshore platform that caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil company says divers will continue looking for the other missing worker.

The Coast Guard says a dive crew hired by rig owner Black Elk Energy of Houston has recovered the body of one of its missing workers near the rig. Eleven workers were injured when fire sparked by a torch on an oil line ripped through the platform Friday, and four remain in a Baton Rouge hospital burn unit.

The company says the rig was not in production, and no oil appears to be leaking. The platform is about 25 miles south of the Louisiana coast, and stands in 56 feet of water.

The Coast Guard called off an air and sea search for the other worker, which encompassed about 1400 square miles.

Eileen is a news reporter and producer for WWNO. She researches, reports and produces the local daily news items. Eileen relocated to New Orleans in 2008 after working as a writer and producer with the Associated Press in Washington, D.C. for seven years.

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