Gulf of Mexico accident kills 18

(CNN) -- At least 18 oil workers were killed and seven more were missing after a portable drilling rig crashed into an oil platform during stormy seas in the Gulf of Mexico, the country's state-owned oil company said Wednesday.

According to a statement from Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, 61 workers were rescued from the Gulf after Tuesday's accident, which also created a gas and oil leak at the site that was not expected to be capped for three to five days.

The drill rig was knocked into the platform during a storm in the southwestern Gulf of Mexico, with 80 mph (130 km/h) winds and waves reaching 26 feet (8 meters).

The rig had been set up next to the oil platform to begin drilling a new well, when the wind and waves pushed it into the platform. E-mail to a friend