Oil spill could last for weeks

BP officials warned on Monday they may not be able to plug the Gulf of Mexico oil leak until August, as Louisiana residents urged Washington to go on a wartime footing to fight the spill.

BP officials warned on Monday they may not be able to plug the Gulf of Mexico oil leak until August, as Louisiana residents urged Washington to go on a wartime footing to fight the spill.

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"Drilling relief wells is still seen as the best solution," but they will not be onstream for at least eight weeks, BP spokesman John Currie said, as US officials warned the spill is now the worst environmental disaster to ever befall the United States.