Mariner Energy facility in Gulf of Mexico on fire

An oil and gas facility owned by Mariner Energy Inc off the coast of Louisiana was on fire Thursday, and the US Coast Guard said it was working to rescue 13 workers. 

"Thirteen  out of 13 are accounted for and it's still burning," said a spokesman for the Eighth District Coast Guard Command Center in New Orleans.   

A Mariner spokesman did not reply to several phone messages.

It was not immediately clear whether it was a rig or a producing platform. 

The Coast Guard said rescue ships and helicopters were flying from New Orleans and Houston to the burning rig.           

There were no initial reports of leaking oil into the Gulf. The facility was located more than 90 miles south of Louisiana's Vermilion Bay.     

Shares of Mariner Energy fell 5% to $22.30 after reports of the explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. Shares of Apache Corp, which is expected to buy Mariner Energy, also fell 1.8% to $90.94.