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McGregor said it was too early to confirm the cause of the blast.

\"We won't know until you get on the rig to see what kind of maintenance was being done,\" he said.

The lieutenant, a seasoned veteran, was shocked by the incident.

\"I've been here 23 years and this is the first time anything like this happened,\" McGregor said.

Louisiana State Police is investigating the cause of the explosion.

ABC News' Rachel Katz, Rex Sakamoto and Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.

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