Coast Guard suspends search for 4 people after helicopter crash in Gulf of Mexico

The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its hourslong search after a helicopter with four people on board crashed in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday, officials said.

The helicopter was in the process of departing an oil platform in the Gulf when it crashed, the Coast Guard's 8th District, headquartered in New Orleans, tweeted.Coast Guard officials said the helicopter went down about 10 miles offshore of Southwest Pass, Louisiana, — a channel about 80 miles southeast of New Orleans.

The crew searched for about 180 square miles for eight hours, the Coast Guard said in a news release. 

“It is always a difficult decision to suspend a search,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Keefe, Coast Guard Sector New Orleans Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator.  “Our deepest sympathies and condolences go out to the family and friends during this difficult time.”

The cause of the crash was not immediately released by officials. The National Transportation said it was investigating the incident Thursday.

Of the four missing people, Hernandez said that three were oil platform workers and one was the pilot. The oil platform is operated by Houston-based Walter Oil and Gas.

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About 3,500 oil and gas structures stand in the Gulf, according to the NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. Over 3,200 of these structures remain active, ranging in size from single well caissons in water depths of 10 feet to larger facilities in water depths up to almost 10,000 feet.

Workers are routinely transported to and from oil platforms in the Gulf by helicopters.

Two weeks ago, the Coast Guard rescued three people after a helicopter crashed off the Louisiana coast while attempting to land on an oil rig platform. That crash occurred Dec. 15 south of Terrebonne Bay, roughly 60 miles west of the area the Coast Guard was searching Thursday.

Contributing: The Associated Press