Operation "Top Kill"

Robert, La.-The gusher off the coast of Louisiana has spilled at least 7 million gallons of crude into the sea since an oil rig explosion April 20 that killed 11 workers. Dozens of witness statements obtained by The Associated Press show a combination of equipment failure and a deference to the chain of command aboard the rig impeded the system that should have stopped the gusher before it became an environmental disaster.If the risky procedure, known as a top kill, stops the flow, BP would then inject cement into the well to seal it. The top kill has worked above ground but has never before been tried 5,000 feet beneath the sea. BP pegged its chance of success at 60 to 70 percent. BP hoped to know as early as Thursday afternoon( May 27) if a stream of mud will finally end its Gulf of Mexico oilspill, a five-week disaster that was putting other U.S. offshore drilling projects on hold as far away as Alaska.