Body of missing worker recovered after Louisiana oil rig explosion

(Reuters) - The body of a worker missing since an oil production platform in Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain exploded and caught fire on Sunday has been found, local officials said.

The body of Timothy Morrison, 44, of Katy, Texas, was recovered on Friday on the lake's shoreline in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana's equivalent to a county, Sheriff Joe Lopinto said in a video posted on Facebook.

The explosion occurred on a rig operated by Clovelly Oil Co.

At least eight people were on the platform and a nearby supply vessel at the time of the explosion and fire, officials said. At least seven people were treated for injuries, some hospitalized in critical condition.

U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews suspended their search for Morrison on Monday after battling waves of 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) during the search.

The Jefferson Parrish Sheriff's Office continued its search for five days. Investigators on Friday spotted the body from a helicopter.

"My prayers are with Tim's wife, Erica, and their three children," Lopinto said. "It brings their tragedy to an end."

Clovelly Oil expressed condolences on Twitter to the family and thanked the sheriff's office for "their diligence in making the recovery and helping to provide some measure of closure in this tragic situation."

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)