Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., released a statement Thursday in which she called for a full investigation into Tuesday's explosion and fire on an oil drilling platform off the Louisiana coast.
"Even as the rescue efforts continue, it is clear that the U.S. Coast Guard and the Minerals Management Service should conduct a swift and thorough investigation into this incident," Landrieu said.
She added, "It is critical that these agencies examine what went wrong and the environmental impact this incident has created. These findings should be reported to Congress as soon as possible."
Landrieu said she expects that "Transocean and BP will fully cooperate with any investigation and commit every available resource to learn from this tragic event."
The explosion took place on the 'Deepwater Horizon' oil rig, which is operated by Transocean Ltd. (RIG) and was drilling for BP Plc (BP) on Mississippi Canyon Block 252.
There were 126 workers aboard the rig at the time of the explosion, and there were still 11 workers unaccounted for as of Thursday.
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