Gulf Gas Rig Explosion: 44 Workers Evacuated

A natural gas well is on fire in the Gulf of Mexico, after an explosion that forced the evacuation of 44 workers.

No injuries were reported following the blowout, which occurred midmorning on Tuesday at the site about 55 miles (88.5km) from the Louisiana coast.

Hercules Offshore (NasdaqGS: HERO - news) which owns the drilling rig stressed no oil was leaking from the well.

Experts are said to be developing a plan to shut down the as-yet uncontrolled flow of natural gas.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) said inspectors flying over the site soon after the blowout saw a light sheen covering the area.

However, it was dissipating quickly.

"According to federal officials, there is no imminent danger at this time," said Kevin Davis, head of the Louisiana governor's homeland security office.

Still, the Coast Guard is keeping nautical traffic out of an area within 500m of the site, where the spewing gas posed a fire hazard.

The Federal Aviation Administration restricted aircraft up to 2,000ft above the area.

A firefighting vessel with water and foam capabilities was sent to the scene.

The blowout occurred near an unmanned offshore gas platform that was not currently producing natural gas.

The workers were on board a portable drilling rig known as a jackup rig, owned by Hercules, which is a contractor for the Walter Oil & Gas company.

It had reported to the BSEE that the rig was completing a "sidetrack well" - a means of re-entering the original well bore.

Earlier this month, a gas well flowed for several days before being sealed off the Louisiana coast.

In 2010, a BP (LSE: BP.L - news) -operated oil rig exploded off the state's coast, leading to a blowout that spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf in the worst offshore disaster in the US.

Coastal officials stressed that Tuesday's blowout was nothing of that magnitude.