The US Coast Guard and staff hired by BP are trying to control the spill from expanding even further, but the incident has sparked the alert of the states of Texas, Mississipi and Florida, besides Louisiana.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama said leading with the oil rig disaster was the priority now.

The oil well that caused the explosion on April 20 is located 1,525 metres beneath the surface of the sea, and it is leaking about 1,000 barrels of oil per day. The images seen from the air showed a thick smoke curtain coming from the fire, which was trying to be put out by an armada of ships surrounding the rig.

126 people were working on the oil rig at the time of the explosion: most of them were evacuated without problems, but other 15 were injured – some of them seriously injured – and 11 are disappared.

Democracy Now! reported that the wife of one of the missing workers, Natalie Roshto, has filed a lawsuit accusing BP of negligence in operating the rig.

Meanwhile, citing the US Minerals Management Service, the BBC reported that in the last ten years there have been 858 fires and explosions in the Gulf of Mexico.

Photo: Roberto Rizzato