Helicopter, with 4 on board, crashes in Gulf of Mexico

Associated Press
·1 min read

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for four people who were on board a helicopter that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico Thursday afternoon.

The helicopter was reportedly in the process of departing an oil platform when it crashed, the Coast Guard's 8th District, headquartered in New Orleans, tweeted around 1:40 p.m. CST. Officials believe the helicopter went down about 10 miles (16 kilometers) offshore of Southwest Pass, Louisiana.

The 8th Coast Guard District in New Orleans did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking further information.

Helicopters routinely transport workers to and from oil platforms in the Gulf.

Two weeks ago, the Coast Guard rescued three people after a helicopter crashed off the Louisiana coast while attempting to land on an oil rig platform. That crash occurred Dec. 15 south of Terrebonne Bay, roughly 60 miles (96.56 kilometers) west of the area the Coast Guard was searching Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Helicopter, with 4 on board, crashes in Gulf of Mexico on Thursday