Oil Washes Ashore as US Gulf Coast Declares Emergency

Up to 5 000 barrels of oil a day are thought to be spilling into the water after last week's explosion on a BP-operated rig, which then sank. Photo by vancouverite.com

Oil has started washing ashore on the US Gulf Coast from a leaking offshore well, the US Coast Guard has said.

Up to 5 000 barrels of oil a day are thought to be spilling into the water after last week's explosion on a BP-operated rig, which then sank, the BBC reported.

A state of emergency has been declared in Louisiana and President Barack Obama has pledged "every single available resource" to help.

The US navy has been deployed to help avert a looming environmental disaster.

The US Coast Guard reported late on Thursday that long, thin traces of crude oil were washing up on the Louisiana shoreline.

Thicker concentrations were a few miles offshore.

The US government has designated the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as an "incident of national significance". This allows it to draw on resources from across the country to deal with the leak.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!