The US Coast Guard said today it will set fire to oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico after last week's rig explosion in a bid to contain ecological damage off the coast of Louisiana, according to dpa. The "controlled burn" could begin as soon as later Wednesday depending on weather conditions, Coast Guard spokeswoman Connie Terrel told the German Press Agency dpa. Efforts to plug two separate leaks 1,500 metres below the surface have so far been unsuccessful, but energy giant BP plans to continue trying. The leaks were releasing an estimated 160,000 litres per day into waters about 70 kilometres off the coast of Louisiana and were costing BP 6 million dollars per day. A film of thin and spotty oil had spread as far as 130 kilometres from the site and in some areas was up to 70 kilometres wide as poor weather hampered weekend efforts by skimming ships to collect oil on the surface. The 6-kilometre-deep well was drilled by the Deepwater Horizons exploratory rig that sunk last Thursday, two days after a sudden explosion that left 11 people presumed dead. There was still no explanation for how the explosion happened.
