A Timeline of the Disastrous BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico

A Timeline of the Disastrous BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico



Since the Deepwater Horizon rig sank into the Gulf of Mexico on April 22, as much as 2.5 million gallons of oil a day have been pouring into the sea from the well it was drilling, according to U.S. government officials and scientists. Response teams have been working day in and day out to contain and clean up the floating oil, while experts have attempted--so far unsuccessfully--to shut off the flow of oil from the wellhead. The leaked oil has already washed up on the delicate Louisiana shoreline, and has reached other gulf states as well, closing down fisheries and threatening the region's fragile ecosystems. Above, a heavily oiled bird is pulled from the waters of Barataria Bay, La., on June 26.