BP: One oil leak in Gulf of Mexico plugged

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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

The oil company BP has said that one of three leaks from a ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has been sealed off, in an attempt to stop the oil from the destroyed Deepwater Horizon rig from contaminating the sea further.

Although 800,000 litres of oil a day are still pouring into the sea, officials say it will be easier to combat the spill with only two leaks.

"As we speak today we now only have two leak sources but I would stress the amount of oil being leaked is still the same," commented BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles.

Meanwhile, remote-controlled submarines will be used tomorrow to try to place a large iron dome over the other two leaks, according to BP spokesman John Curry.

The Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20, killing eleven workers; the cause of the disaster is not known.


Sources