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- dEsPeraTe cRaNky -
VENICE (US) :
The surface area of a catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill quickly tripled in size amid growing fears among experts that the slick could become vastly more devastating than it seemed just two days ago.
Frustrated fishermen eager to help contain the spill from a ruptured underwater well had to keep their boats idle on Saturday as another day of rough seas kept crews away from the slick.
President Barack Obama planned a Sunday trip to the Gulf Coast to see the damage himself.
Documents also emerged showing BP downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at the offshore rig that exploded.
How far the spill will reach is unknown, but the sheen already has reached into precious shoreline habitat and remains unstopped, raising fears that the ruptured well could be pouring more oil into the gulf than estimated.
The Coast Guard has estimated that about 200,000 gallons (757,060 liters) of oil are spewing out each day, which would mean 1.6 million gallons (6.06 million litters) of oil have spilled since the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers.
The environmental mess could eclipse the Exxon Valdez disaster, when an oil tanker spilled 11 million gallons (42 million liters) off Alaska's shores in 1989.
The surface area of a catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill quickly tripled in size amid growing fears among experts that the slick could become vastly more devastating than it seemed just two days ago.
Frustrated fishermen eager to help contain the spill from a ruptured underwater well had to keep their boats idle on Saturday as another day of rough seas kept crews away from the slick.
President Barack Obama planned a Sunday trip to the Gulf Coast to see the damage himself.
Documents also emerged showing BP downplayed the possibility of a catastrophic accident at the offshore rig that exploded.
How far the spill will reach is unknown, but the sheen already has reached into precious shoreline habitat and remains unstopped, raising fears that the ruptured well could be pouring more oil into the gulf than estimated.
The Coast Guard has estimated that about 200,000 gallons (757,060 liters) of oil are spewing out each day, which would mean 1.6 million gallons (6.06 million litters) of oil have spilled since the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers.
The environmental mess could eclipse the Exxon Valdez disaster, when an oil tanker spilled 11 million gallons (42 million liters) off Alaska's shores in 1989.
