Oil spill in Gulf of Mexico reported to have been washed ashore
COW. April 30. KAZINFORM U.S. Coast Guard officials began investigating reports that oil from a massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico has hit the coastline in the early hours of Friday, posing a threat to nature on islands along the Gulf Coast, the New York Times said; Kazinform refers to RIA Novosti.
There has been no official confirmation of the reports. U.S. Coast Guard petty officer Shawn Eggert was quoted by the paper as saying officials were planning a flyover on Friday to study the situation.
A state of emergency was declared in Louisiana on Thursday as oil from the Deepwater Horizon rig, which sunk on Thursday, continues spilling out into the sea.
An explosion which caused the oil spill ripped through the Deepwater Horizon, some 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, on Tuesday. The blast claimed the lives of 11 people who were working on the rig and injured other 17; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti.