Shell Says Two Killed on Gulf of Mexico Auger Platform

(Bloomberg) -- Two people were killed and one injured on Royal Dutch Shell Plc's Auger platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday.

The incident occurred at 9 a.m. local time during “a routine and mandatory test of our lifeboat launch and retrieval capabilities,” a company spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. The injured person is being treated at a hospital with a non life-threatening injury. Shell declined to give more details.

“In the over 40 years that Shell has operated in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico we have strived, above all, to ensure our people go home safely to their loved ones,” a company spokeswoman said. “It's devastating when they do not. We deeply regret this loss of life within our Shell family and community.”

Auger is one of Shell's largest and most productive platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The company nearly decommissioned it in 2010 until new technology revealed another large oil reservoir under a salt deposit, according to the company's website. It's located 214 miles (344 kilometers) south of New Orleans.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kelly Gilblom in London at kgilblom@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Herron at jherron9@bloomberg.net, Rakteem Katakey, Helen Robertson

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