Efforts to shut down leak at Deepwater Horizon oil rig continue
The ecosystem of the Gulf Coast is at risk as an estimated 42,000 gallons of oil are leaked per day.
Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon in this handout photograph taken on April 21, 2010.
US Coast Guard/Reuters
NEW ORLEANS (AP)
Authorities continue to monitor the size and direction of a Gulf of Mexico oil sheen by air, while using robotic underwater equipment to try to shut off its source at a wrecked deepwater drilling platform.
The Coast Guard and the companies that owned an operated the rig plan a Monday afternoon news conference in Robert, La., the site of a command center established over the weekend to deal with the crisis.
The oil has been leaking at a rate estimated at 42,000 gallons a day. Workers are trying to make sure the oil doesn't reach the Gulf Coast's fragile ecosystem.
An explosion on the floating deep water rig last Tuesday night led to a huge fire and the eventual sinking of the rig. The search for 11 missing workers was called off on Friday.