Wife Of Missing Rig Worker Sues BP, Transocean In US Court

The wife of a rig worker still missing after a big blaze in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has sued rig operator Transocean Ltd (RIG) and oil giant BP PLC (BP) in connection with the blast.

The suit, believed to be the first such legal action related to the explosion, was filed Thursday with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. It accuses Transocean and BP of "negligence." BP is managing the development of hydrocarbons in that part of the U.S. Gulf and had hired Transocean to drill a well there. Neither company replied to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit, which seeks compensatory damages, are Natalie Roshto, of Liberty, Miss., and her husband Shane. The document says Shane Roshto was "thrown overboard by the force of the drilling explosion and his body has not yet been located."

Lawsuits are common in the wake of major industrial accidents. The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday that it is still actively searching for 11 crew members in the wake of the explosion.

Transocean said Thursday in a press release that the cause of the fire and explosion is currently unknown, and an investigation will be ongoing in the "days or weeks to come."

-By Angel Gonzalez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9214;angel.gonzalez@dowjones.com

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