• The vessel went down in the Gulf of Mexico southeast of New Orleans.
• Coast Guard had called off its search for a helicopter.
• Coast Guard sent a 45-foot Response Boat and helicopter.

The vessel went down in the Gulf of Mexico southeast of New Orleans while carrying employees of Houston-based Walter Oil and Gas.

Officials said on Friday that the Coast Guard had called off its search for a helicopter that had crashed close to New Orleans, raising doubts about whether the four people on board could still be saved.

At around 8:40 a.m. CST on Thursday, an oil platform run by Houston-based Walter Oil and Gas crashed, killing a pilot and three other crew members, according to authorities.

According to Coast Guard Petty Officer Jose Hernandez, “Once a case is stopped it basically implies that we will cease searching unless we locate any fresh information that might truly aid us with the search,” reported on Friday.

“Let’s imagine someone actually discovers a body or alerts us to (new) information that will assist one of our assets.”

Hernandez, a spokesperson for the 8th District of the Coast Guard in New Orleans, said Walter Oil and Gas is probably going to pick up their search for the sinking vessel.

On Friday, a Walter Oil and Gas official could not be reached for comment.

At the mouth of the Mississippi River southeast of New Orleans, the Bell 407 helicopter crashed about 10 miles from the maritime waterway Southwest Pass, according to officials. The NTSB is looking into it.

Although no victims were discovered right away, the Coast Guard posted pictures of wreckage on Thursday, including many cylindrical yellow objects that were bobbing in the ocean.

According to officials, the Coast Guard sent a 45-foot Response Boat and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to search 180 square miles.

The decision to halt a search is never easy, according to Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Keefe. We send the family and friends our sincere sympathy and condolences during this difficult time.

According to officials, three persons were saved by the Coast Guard two weeks ago after their helicopter crashed while attempting to land on another oil site close to New Orleans. This accident happened on December 15 around 30 miles south of Terrebonne Bay.

[embedpost slug=”u-s-coast-guard-saves-3-men-clinging/”]