Filipino dies of burns from US oil rig explosion

CHICAGO (AFP) - A Filipino worker who was badly burned in an explosion on a oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico last week has died from his injuries, the Philippines embassy said on Friday.

His death brings the toll from the Nov 16 blast off the coast of Louisiana to three, all of whom were Filipinos.

Mr Welder Avelino Tajonera, 49, died a few hours after his wife and three children arrived at the Texas hospital on Thursday night.

"The Filipino nation joins his family in grieving over their loss," Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Jr said in a statement.