BP tries again to stop oil leak

The thick, dark plume of oil has been flowing into the Gulf of Mexico for more than a month now.

For almost as long, BP has been attempting to stop it.

The company tried lowering a large 'dome' over the leak.

That failed because of a build-up of ice inside.

A smaller dome, known as a 'top hat' was built, but has yet to be put into position.

Engineers managed to divert some of the flow using a riser pipe inserted into the drill site.

Top kill

BP's latest attempt to stop the flow is a technique known as 'top kill'.

A thick substance, similar to mud, is pumped into the drill site.

It should stop the oil long enough for engineers to block the hole with concrete. Top kill has been used before, but never this far underwater.

Increasing anger

Many Americans, especially those living in the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are angry about how long the operation is taking.

The oilwell blowout which caused the leak happened on 20 April.

Since then, the slick has begun to wash ashore on beaches and marshland.

Birds, fish and other wildlife have have also been washing-up, dead.

Local businesses, especially in the seafood industry, have begun to suffer.

Much of the anger is being directed at BP. Reports in the US claim the company did not submit a detailed plan of what it would do if a leak like this happened, when it started drilling on the site.

However, politics-watchers say that's more the fault of the government for not being strict enough in regulating the industry.

President Obama has also been the target of growing criticism, with accusations that he has failed to take control of the situation.

The President is due to travel to the Gulf Coast on Friday (28 May) to check on the latest developments.

In the mean-time, he has put on hold plans to increase offshore drilling in the area until a review is carried-out.