The death toll in the Gulf of Mexico rig disaster has risen to 4. Pemex, a Mexican state-run oil company, said 300 workers have been evacuated after the fire broke out on their Abkatun Permanente platform.

Among those killed was a contractor for the Mexican oil services company, Cotemar, according to Pemex. Employees who escaped told the Associated Press some people were forced to jump into the shallow waters to escape the blaze.

"There was nothing you could do but run," Roger Arias Sanchez, an employee of Pemex contractor Cotemar told the AP.

Currently, there are eight fireboats fighting the blaze, according to Pemex.

It is unclear how much fuel might have leaked into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the incident.

The Pemex company has dealt with multiple deadly accidents in recent years, including a 2013 blast at the company headquarters that killed 37 people.

Source: NBC News