How Many People Died In The Deepwater Horizon Disaster In Real Life

Summary The Deepwater Horizon disaster resulted in 11 deaths and 17 injuries.

The real event had ten, not nine, individuals left behind on the rig.

The 2016 movie was praised for its accuracy despite some changes and its poor box office performance.

Deepwater Horizon revolves around the events of the devastating 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which sadly killed multiple people in real life. The 2016 biographical disaster film, directed by Peter Berg and written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand, is adapted from a New York Times article — "Deepwater Horizon's Final Hours" — by David Barstow, David Rohde, and Stephanie Saul that was published on December 25, 2010, eight months after the disaster. The piece goes into great detail about everything that happened, from the calm morning before the explosion to the next day when survivors prayed for the deceased.

Whereas the movie attempted to be as accurate as possible to Deepwater Horizon's true story, some parts had to be changed, as most film producers have to (or want to) when adapting a story for the big screen. Nevertheless, many praised the 2016 movie (even though Deepwater Horizon bombed at the box office) for its close accuracy to the real-life events of the oil rig explosion given the fact that some parts had to be altered for cinematic purposes. One aspect of the traumatic disaster that didn't change in the film was the number of casualties.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

11 People Died & 17 People Were Injured In The Real Deepwater Horizon Explosion

The Explosion & Oil Spill Occurred On April 20, 2010

Close

As seen by the ending of Deepwater Horizon (the movie), 11 people died during the real-life oil drilling rig explosion in the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, per EPA. Meanwhile, 17 other workers were injured as a result of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, which later became known as the largest environmental disaster in United States history. According to CNN, the names and ages of the 11 people who died in the explosion are:

Jason Anderson, 35

Dale Burkeen, 37

Donald Clark, 49

Stephen Curtis, 39

Gordon Jones, 28

Wyatt Kemp, 27

Karl Kleppinger Jr., 38

Blair Manuel, 56

Dewey Revette, 48

Shane Roshto, 22

Adam Weise, 24

Ten (not nine) people were left behind on Deepwater Horizon by the time two lifeboats left the burning oil drilling rig in real life.

Related Deepwater Horizon Review Deepwater Horizon effectively turns the real-world disaster into an action/drama that's more disturbing than thrilling to watch.

Did 9 People Actually Get Left Behind By Lifeboats In The Real Deepwater Horizon Disaster?

The 2016 Movie Depicted Workers Stranded On The Oil Rig

The 2016 biographical disaster film Deepwater Horizon shows that nine workers were left behind on the oil drilling rig while the lifeboats raced away from the platform that was still burning and where explosions were still being set off. However, the real-life events happened ever so slightly differently. According to The New York Times, ten (not nine) people were left behind on Deepwater Horizon by the time two lifeboats left the burning oil drilling rig in real life.

The article names them as Mr. Bertone, Mr. Williams (played by Mark Wahlberg in the movie), Mr. Meinhart, Ms. Fleytas (played by Gina Rodriguez), Mr. Keplinger, Mr. Ezell, Mr. Carden, Mr. Murray, Mr. Wheeler, and Captain Kuchta. They were not able to get to the lifeboat deck in time before the vessels left, but an inflatable raft was available as a backup plan for the lifeboats. However, the stranded workers had trouble freeing and loading the raft. Ultimately, the ten stranded were able to make it to safety, unlike the 11 who died, as depicted in Deepwater Horizon.

Deepwater Horizon, starring Mark Wahlberg, is available to stream on Max.

Deepwater Horizon Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

rent

buy Not available Not available Not available Deepwater Horizon is a 2016 disaster film based on the BP oil spill. Directed by Peter Berg and based on a story by Matthew Sand, the film chronicles a mishandling of an oceanic drilling job that leads to a massive explosion and mass amounts of oil leaking into the ocean depths. Director Peter Berg Release Date September 29, 2016 Writers Matthew Michael Carnahan , J.C. Chandor , Matthew Sand Cast Kurt Russell , Ethan Suplee , Gina Rodriguez , Brad Leland , John Malkovich , Kate Hudson , J.D. Evermore , Mark Wahlberg Runtime 107minutes

Sources: EPA, CNN, The New York Times