"BP crews raced to protect the Gulf of Mexico coastline as a remote sub tried to shut off an underwater oil well gushing 42,000 gallons a day from the site of a wrecked drilling platform.

If crews cannot stop the leak quickly, they might have to drill another well to redirect the oil, a laborious process that could take about two months while oil washes up along a broad stretch of shore, from the white-sand beaches of Florida's Panhandle to the swamps of Louisiana.

The oil, which could reach shore in as little as three days, is escaping from two leaks in a drilling pipe about 5,000 feet below the surface. The spill has grown to more than 1,800 square miles."

The UK Press Association had the story April 27, 2010. [2]

See Also:

"Big Oil Fought Off New Safety Rules Before Rig Explosion" (Huffington Post) [3]

"Oysters, Nesting Birds Face Threat From Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill" (AP) [4]

"Gulf of Mexico oilspill spreads as well leaks" (Reuters) [5]

"Gulf of Mexico oil spill creates environmental and political dilemmas" (Wash Post) [6]

"Nelson requests Senate investigation into oil safety claims" (Bradenton Herald) [7]

"NASA satellite image reveals massive oil spill" (Mongabay.com)
[8]
Column: "'Drill, baby, drill' is now 'Spill, baby, spill'" (Sarasota Herald-Tribune) [9]