Authorities have found the remains of the four people who died in a helicopter crash in the Gulf of Mexico near Louisiana on Thursday, according to reports.
The US Coast Guard found the helicopter – which was departing an offshore oil rig – in Gulf waters on Monday, the Louisiana news website Nola.com reported.
Three of the four killed were offshore petroleum employees, who worked for Walter Oil & Gas Corporation and Island Operating Co. The fourth was the helicopter pilot, who worked for Rotorcraft Leasing Co.
The family of David Scarborough in Mississippi identified him as one of those killed in the helicopter crash, the website said.
Before the discovery of the bodies, Scarborough’s wife, Lacy Scarborough, said that the couple were expecting a baby. She said that he had recently been promoted, the Associated Press reported, citing New Orleans’s NBC affiliate.
Scarborough was heading home after a two-week shift to celebrate a late Christmas holiday. The last message Scarborough sent to his wife said that the helicopter was leaving and that he would be there soon, the AP said.
Tim Graham, of Mississippi as well, was also identified by family as a passenger, the Clarke County Tribune said. Nola.com reported that the other two victims had yet to be identified.
After the helicopter crash, US Coast Guard members scoured an 180 sq mile (466 sq km) area in search of survivors. The US Coast Guard suspended search-and-rescue efforts after approximately eight hours, Nola.com said.
“It is always a difficult decision to suspend a search,” the Coast Guard sector New Orleans search and rescue mission coordinator, Lt Cmdr Kevin Keefe, said. “Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends during this difficult time.”
“We extend our sincere condolences to the families and friends of the pilot and passengers on board the aircraft,” the companies involved said in a statement.
Both the oil and aviation companies said that they would “continue to cooperate fully with the agencies investigating this tragic incident”, including the National Transportation Safety Board.
Oil workers are frequently transported to and from offshore platforms by helicopters. The industry is a major economic driver in the region, despite criticism that the proliferation of oil and gas development is further exacerbating the climate crisis.
The Joe Biden White House has proposed building enough offshore windfarms in the Gulf of Mexico to power 3.1m homes in Texas and Louisiana. Some oil and gas companies are interested in using that electricity, the Guardian previously reported.
The companies are interested in using wind to generate renewable hydrogen – which would in turn power oil refining and steel and fertilizer manufacturing – to lessen their carbon footprint.
The approach has faced criticism, with some viewing it as an inefficient effort to prop up the region’s industry amid calls for reductions in fossil fuel use.
