Oil giant BP has succeeded in placing a containment cap over the ruptured well head that is gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, but was working Friday to seal the cap and close valves before it could capture much of the oil, reported the dpa. "Progress is being made," said Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is leading the government's response to the oil spill. But it will not be clear for 1-2 days just how much oil and gas can be collected. The progress comes as winds continued to drive the worst oil spill in US history further eastward, towards Florida's popular and lucrative panhandle beaches. Clean-up crews were battling the oil over an "extraordinarily wide" area that stretched from Louisiana to Pensacola, Florida, according to Allen. The Coast Guard was investigating reports of an "oily substance" and tar balls by three islands in the Florida Keys.
